His Reason
by Brittt87
Summary: Serial womanizer Troy Bolton never had a reason to end his playboy games. When an old high school friend Gabriella returns from England, he sees her in a new light – one that spotlights her as the reason to finally change his ways. Previously titled Drops of Jupiter
1. Chapter 1

**I don't own High School Musical or the song, Drops of Jupiter by Train.**

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Gabriella Montez slipped onto the barstool at the table in front of her and set her beer down. It was her first night out with her friends since being back in the states after three months, and it was going exactly as she expected. Exactly one hour after arriving at her new apartment, Sharpay and Taylor had burst through the door and demanded they go out on Saturday to celebrate her return. The two females had invited their group of friends to participate in the festivities, and three days later, here she was.

During her time at Stanford, Gabriella had been offered a Product Manager internship with one of the leading technology companies based in Albuquerque. That internship had required her to board a plane to England with a promise of returning to the states in three months and, if everything turned out well, a full time job offer back in Albuquerque. She recognized an opportunity like this was one in a million and, after talking it over with her mom, she took it.

Looking back, she didn't regret it. She was now employed full time as a Product Manager with Monco Software. Her first day on the job was scheduled for Monday and she was ready for it.

Gabriella's eyes wandered around the bar that she was in as she took a sip of her beer and licked her lips when Taylor set a basket of loaded nachos in front of her. It wasn't that she didn't want to be here, it was that she was wired. The way things were left when she got on the plane hadn't sat well with her and she didn't know what to expect. She adjusted her dress in an attempt to pull the hem line down a little bit more. It was a tunic type dress with a deep v neck that fell mid-thigh. Her hair had been curled and her black wedges were strapped to her feet. Her style of dress had changed while she was in England when she felt it was necessary to splurge on a new wardrobe in celebration. Sharpay almost had a stroke when she unpacked Gabriella's suitcase, claiming it was the best thing to happen to her while she was gone.

"Gabriella!"

Gabriella turned toward the male voices that were cheering her name and let a smile stretch across her face.

"Damn girl, those legs!" That was Chad Danforth, one of her closest friends. The bushy haired man lunged forward and picked her up off the chair and proceeded to spin her around. The angelic laughter that bubbled out of her mingled with the shouts of happiness. She was home.

When her feet touched the ground again, Gabriella looked at the faces of her friends. She felt tears well up in her eyes. She was proud. It was the first time everyone was together since they had graduated.

Chad had gone off to University of Albuquerque to pursue a degree in Sports Medicine. He was working to become a physical therapist.

Taylor had gone to Harvard for pre-law and was recently employed by a small law firm just outside the city.

Ryan and Kelsi had gone to Juilliard for choreography and music production, respectively.

Sharpay had attended University of Albuquerque as well, and returned to East High to run the Drama Department alongside Darbus.

Troy had gone to the University of California, Berkley for a degree in secondary education and history and was now also employed at East High, as a history teacher.

Her heart skipped a beat at the thought of Troy. Troy was, what one might consider, a player. Had been during high school and college.

Before she left, Troy had hinted at having feelings towards Gabriella one drunken night, but she chalked it up to her leaving and left it at that. Troy wasn't capable of feelings. He hadn't contacted her the entire time she was gone, even though he had been in the same room with Chad when she had called. It wasn't like they were the best of friends before she left, but she did miss him and wondered if he did, too.

He must not have because as she looked around, the electric blue eyes she longed for, weren't there.

She pushed that thought out of her head as she caught up with her friends, learned about their time in college and just enjoyed being home.

"Miss Montez, did you miss me, while you were looking for yourself out there?"

His voice boomed over the speakers and she turned toward the stage. It was then, that she remembered Taylor mentioning Troy had joined a band when he returned home.

She loved him.

The thought slammed into her like a freight train as she fumbled to catch the beer that was falling out of her hands.

He was sexy.

He was looking right at her.

He was there.

Love? Troy Bolton? Like, maybe, but love? No.

His eyes stayed on her as he slid the guitar strap over his shoulder. His blue orbs worked themselves down her body and he licked his lips in appreciation.

Gabriella took another beer that was being passed to her and welcomed the icy liquid that slid down her throat. She swore the temperature had just gone up fifteen degrees. His hair was deliberately messy, his jeans hung off his hips and his arms tested the seams of the blue shirt he wore. Gabriella let a slur pass her lips as the first notes of the band's song rang out from the keyboard.

_Now that she's back in the atmosphere_

_With drops of Jupiter in her hair, hey, hey_

_She acts like summer and walks like rain_

_Reminds me that there's time a to change, hey, hey_

_Since the return from her stay on the moon_

_She listens like spring and she talks like June, hey, hey…._

His voice commanded the room and Gabriella felt her breath catch in the back of her throat as the band continued into the chorus of the song, his fingers began to strum the guitar.

_...Now that she's back in the atmosphere_

_I'm afraid that she might think of me as plain ol Jane_

_Told a story about a man who is too afraid to fly so he never did land_

_Tell me did the wind sweep you off your feet_

_Did you finally get the chance to dance along the light of day_

_And head back to the milky way_

_And tell me, did Venus blow your mind_

_Was it everything you wanted to find_

_And did you miss me while you were looking for yourself out there…._

What the hell? She knew Troy was attractive. She knew he could sing and she knew he could play the guitar. So, what the hell had happened while she was gone?

_Can you imagine no love, pride, deep-fried chicken_

_Your best friend always sticking up for you... Even when I know you're wrong_

_Can you imagine no first dance, freeze dried romance five-hour phone_

_Conversation_

_The best soy latte that you ever had... And me…_

His eyes locked on hers as the word "me" fell from his lips. What did this mean? Did _he_ miss _her_ while she was gone? Gabriella Montez? Her heart rate quickened at the thought.

_...Tell me, did you fall for a shooting star_

_One without a permanent scar_

_And did you miss me while you were looking for yourself out there_

The song came to a close and Gabriella leaned against the bar top for support. Her legs were weak and her mouth was dry. She had to be over analyzing the situation. That was the only explanation. Gabriella Montez wasn't the type Troy liked. She was a good girl. A bookworm, brainiac, careful. She was innocent. Hadn't even been kissed before, even at the age of 22. So that look that Troy had in his eyes must have been meant for someone else, right? She looked around her, trying to find the person that held Troys attention during the song.

Upon finding many that could have been the one of interest, Gabriella excused herself and made her way to the bathroom. She needed to compose herself before he made his way over to their group. She needed to clear her head.

When she reached the bathroom, she turned and locked the door, thankful for the moment of calm before the storm.

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Welcome to my newest story! This has been rolling around in my head for a while and I've just now gotten the chance to write it down. As always, please read and drop a comment, letting me know what you think! Xoxo


	2. Chapter 2

**I do not own High School Musical. **

Troy didn't know when it happened. He just knew that it did. At some point Gabriella had gone from the shy one in the group to the one that held his attention. It was like it happened overnight. Sure, she had always been cute, but always hid herself under conservative clothes, fluffy curly hair and a set of thick rimmed glasses. It almost reminded him of Mia's before look in The Princess Diaries.

But now...now Gabriella had herself put together. As she emerged from the bathroom, all Troy could think was, had he seen her legs before? He rolled his eyes at himself. He was a guy looking at a beautiful girl. A beautiful girl who deserved better than a man who was as shallow as he was. As far as he was concerned, he was an asshole. Definitely not someone he would want his sister to date, if he had one. But he couldn't help it. He was a man who, at the end of the day, loved ladies.

Troy's eyes followed her movements as she sauntered up to the bar beside him. His mouth was suddenly very dry and he knocked on the bar to get the bartender's attention.

"Jack and coke, please," and when she reached his side he spoke "and add a cranberry martini to my tab." He then turned to her and let his eyes sweep down her body as her lavender perfume filled his nostrils.

"Well, well, well, Miss Montez. Aren't you a sight for sore eyes?" He threw a wink in her direction and swore he saw a blush sweep across her cheeks, but that could have been the lighting.

"Bolton, don't tell me you're noticing me now that I've bought better clothes?" She watched the bartender place the drinks in front of him and she rolled her eyes.

"I've always _noticed_ you, Gabriella." He smirked and turned to her to hand her the drink. "This is just the first time I've seen you wearing something not so conservative. Shoot me for being appreciative of the female body. Welcome home by the way." His voice was cool and she watched as he lifted the jack and coke to his lips.

"Thank you." She said so quietly, Troy was thankful he could read her lips. She tipped her drink towards him then took a gulp and he suddenly felt himself get hot.

The thing about Gabriella is that she unnerved him and he didn't know why. She thought he didn't notice her, but it was hard to not notice a girl like her. He kept his distance because girls like Gabriella couldn't fall into life with guys like him. He refused to let her go down that path. A girl like her was the American dream. The girl that you took home to momma. The girl you put a down payment on a house and started a family with. Troy knew he wasn't the kind of guy for Gabriella, but damn it he wanted to be. He also knew that Gabriella had been so painfully aware of his womanizing that she would think any changes he made would be fake, even if the weren't. Not that she would ever think twice about him.

When word got loose that she was leaving for a few months, Troy felt relieved and pained. He hoped she would find a guy for her, but at the same time, he was disappointed in himself for not being good enough for a girl like her. Troy didn't think had feelings for her, but it was hard to know, when you know you weren't good enough for her. He hoped she got everything in life she deserved...he just wished it could have been him some day. A girl like her was a dime a dozen and any man would be lucky to have her by his side in this life.

She was a glass of ice cold water in the hot and heavy lifestyle he lived. Don't get him wrong, he loved a good romp in the sack, and on any given night he could be found in a woman's bed. But on those nights when he slipped out of their apartments and into his, his heart was always heavy when he woke up alone the next morning.

He would dream of a faceless girl that would sit beside him as he graded history assignments, a girl who would sit in this bar every time he would get up and sing, a girl to carry his love and children. But the fact of the matter was, the Troy Bolton's of this world, rarely ever got the luxury of a beautiful woman beside them for life.

The first time he met Gabriella, she was raising money for the local SPCA. She was showing puppies and dogs off to the world when he stopped by the table to put a few dollars in the donation jar. She didn't giggle at him, but she didn't shy away either. The two things that usually happened when the basketball captain of East High was around, didn't, and it left Troy perplexed.

When he went to class the next day, he realized that same girl sat behind him in his math class. When he went to lunch, he noticed Gabriella sitting by herself for a while and then a pretty African American girl sat beside her. That African American girl caught the eye of his best friend, Chad, and from that point on, Chad and Taylor were the power couple at East High. They had formed a tight bond with many others around the school and that friendship carried on through their high school and college years, and it still stood strong today.

"How's being back at East High, wildcat?" He licked his lips and felt his lips stretch into a smile.

"It's great. I love teaching, who would have thought?" He chuckled lowly and glanced at the girl beside him. Her eyes were sparkling, "Me. I think it's a great thing you do, Troy." She finished off her martini and set the glass down on the bar top as a clearly intoxicated guy scooted a little too close for her comfort.

"Damn girl, you've got one hell of an ass. Wanna get out of here?" Troy crossed his arms, ready to step in, but before he could open his mouth, Gabriella had already beaten him to it.

"I'm sorry that you feel the need to hit on someone that way. Maybe if you'd actually speak to a woman with respect, you wouldn't have to pick one up in a bar. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a conversation to get back to." She turned away from the man and slid her hand into Troy's and pulled him away from the bar, who couldn't help but stare at her in shock.

"Who the hell are you and what have you done with Gabriella Montez?" He asked and felt her warm fingers slip from his.

"Well, I know what I expect from a man, and I like to be out with friends, out having a good time, but I do not want to be picked up in a bar." She said with a smirk and walked away from him, leaving Troy, with a grin on his face, watching her as she left. She may just be the death of him.

Thank you so much for reading chapter 2! Special shoutout to thoughts-of-joy-dreams-of-love for being the first review! Let me know what you think! -Xoxo


	3. Chapter 3

**I do not own High School Musical. **

When Gabriella woke up this morning to the sun streaming through her windows, she didn't anticipate how her day would be. It was her first day at her new job and so far she liked what she saw. It was close enough that she could walk to work, the building was beautiful and her coworkers seemed easy to get along with.

She had carefully picked out her outfit, twice, and decided on a deep purple satin blouse and a black pencil skirt with a pair of black wedges. She had put on a light coating of makeup and curled her hair and left it in waves that fell over her shoulders.

She had made sure to get to work early that morning so she could take a look at her office. It was small, but she already knew how she wanted it decorated and she wanted it in a way that highlighted the windows she had to her right side of her desk.

Her first day consisted of new hire orientation and the need for coffee. The man that was running orientation had a monotone voice that made Gabriella want to fall asleep or beg him to let her read the packets and pamphlets on her own. Wasn't there a rule that when you present slideshows that you should have all of your information on the slide? She was pretty sure there was.

Gabriella was now on her hour long lunch break and was just finishing up her lunch. She had decided to stop at the local sub shop and ordered half a cheesesteak sub with peppers and a water and was debating walking across the street to the Starbucks to order a caramel iced coffee.

As she threw away her trash, she heard her phone beep and pulled it out to see Taylor had texted her and asked how her day was going so far. She quickly replied saying it was good and that she'd call her tonight to tell her about it. The line moved forward and Gabriella ordered her coffee and handed the cashier her card when a voice interjected, "It's on me".

Gabriella turned to the man beside her and flushed slightly as the cashier smiled at her then took the man's card and his order and paid.

Adam was his name. Or at least that's what he told the cashier it was.

"Thank you, but you didn't have to do that." Gabriella replied and they moved to the pick up counter to wait for their drinks.

"I like making people happy, and you looked like just the right person," came his reply and he stuck out his hand for her to shake. "Hi, my name's Adam. And yours?" She took his warm hand in hers and she looked him over. He was very handsome and obviously charismatic. His brown eyes seemed to make his smile warmer and she couldn't help herself from getting caught up in it. "Gabriella," she said and turned to grab her coffee that was set on the counter.

"Well Gabriella, I need to get back from my lunch break, but I'd love to take you out to dinner, say tonight at six at Amelia's on Fifth Street?" He pulled out his business card with his phone number and handed it to her then smiled when she nodded her head then turned and walked out of the small coffee shop.

Gabriella sent a quick text to Taylor telling her she needed to come over right after work because she needed helping picking an outfit then bit her lip when she saw the time. She wanted to pick up a vase full of flowers for her office, but decided she didn't have enough time and rushed back to the office so she wasn't late.

That night, when Gabriella left work, Taylor and Sharpay were already waiting for her to get off work. This had been confirmed when they called her after she clocked out and been told they were waiting at her apartment. She chuckled slightly when the two other girls had gone off on their own conversation about how they thought she should be dressed as she started walking towards her home. She had a little over a half hour to get ready so she could leave on time to walk down to Amelia's. She did have a car, but with the weather being as nice as it was and those pesky ten pounds to lose, she preferred to walk.

The minute the two girls saw Gabriella walking down the street, they jumped out of the car and hurried to her door. She rushed up the steps to unlock the door and the girls pushed her inside and up to her bedroom. The next thing she knew, her entire wardrobe was on the bed and floor so they could assess every piece of clothing she owned. After 15 minutes of deliberation, it was decided she would wear a pair of skinny jeans with a rip in the knee, a pair of nude heels and a white flowing tank top. The outfit was finished off with a long, gold skinny necklace, a pair of earrings and a touch up to her hair and makeup and she was happy with what she saw. The girls wished her good luck, requested a full report tomorrow and promised to clean up her room before they left. Gabriella hugged them both and off she went.

The walk was a bit longer than the one to work, but it took her a different route to get there and she enjoyed the memories that played through her mind on her way. She hadn't been back in Albuquerque in a little over four years, other than the occasional visit during breaks. She had missed being there with her friends, the familiarity, the sights and sounds. It was, after seven moves in one lifetime, the place where Gabriella had decided to plant her roots. This was where she wanted to be. Where she belonged. She never thought the constant moving as a child would produce a happiness inside her that she never felt until they moved here. She had never been accepted until she attended East High. She considered herself lucky if she had made a friend during any of her other moves, but to be part of a group of friends that were still close after all these years? Well, that was priceless.

As she waited for the light at the crosswalk to turn green, Gabriella felt relief run through her when she noticed Amelia's wasn't too busy. She figured it would be easier to spot Adam, but didn't see him. She checked her phone and saw she was about ten minutes early, which was fine. Not everyone was as prompt as she was. She decided to go inside and grab them a table that was outside and under the cover of an umbrella, but requested it be close to the sidewalk so she could see when Adam showed up. She ordered herself a water and a glass of wine and smiled politely when the waitress laid a basket of bread on the table.

Amelia's was a small mom and pop shop that was passed down by the generation before the current owners', but it had the best darn Italian food she'd ever had. It was a bistro like atmosphere, which only translated to it being perfect for a cozy evening.

20 minutes, and an unanswered phone call, later, Gabriella started to fiddle with her now empty wine glass. 10 minutes after that she decided to call again, which was finally answered.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Adam?"

"Yes, who is this?" Gabriella felt her heat stop momentarily. "It's Gabriella. We were supposed to meet tonight at Amelia's"

"Shit, that's right! I can be down there in a half hour!" Came his rushed reply and a flirtatious giggle that she heard him shush.

"Actually, Adam, I think I'm going to pass. I need to be able to rely on a faithful man." She hung up the phone, dropped a few bills on the table to pay for the tab and tip and gathered her things to leave.

Gabriella sighed and felt a heavy weight settle on her heart. Did she expect too much of men? She didn't think so, all she wanted was a _nice_ guy. Someone who cared. Someone who just wanted to be with her. She had never had a guy have any interest in her, and the one time she did he forgot. He freaking forgot about her. She raked a hand through her hair then stopped at a bench and moved to take her heels off. She figured if she was going to feel sorry for herself, then her feet shouldn't suffer for her misery.

"Gabriella?" Her head snapped up then dropped again with a sigh when she saw the striking blue eyes of the owner of the voice sitting in the car in front of her. "Is everything ok?"

Her burning cheeks gave her away and she saw compassion in his eyes when she met his gaze. "Yeah, Troy, I'm fine." She said with a smile then stood up to begin walking home again.

She took about ten steps toward home before she heard the car shut off and a door slam. "He stand you up?" Troy's voice caused her to stop and she bit her lip before turning around. When she did, she saw him leaning against the car with one foot crossed over the other and his arms folded over his chest. "Taylor told Chad you had a date and I happened to be there," came the explanation she hadn't asked for.

"Troy, please. I don't really want to...talk about it...with you." Her cheeks were still burning and she let her eyes rest on a crack in the sidewalk. Troy Bolton was the very last person she ever wanted to talk to about boy problems.

The confident girl Troy had seen during her welcome home party was now long gone. She was just as beautiful as before, if not more, but that spark that was in her eye from that night was nowhere in sight. He dropped his arms to his sides and stuck his hands in his pockets. "Well, I was on my way home, but I'm hungry. Are you?" It was then that she realized he was still in his work clothes, a blue shirt and khaki colored pants. His sleeves were rolled up to his arms and his feet were covered with a pair of, what looked like, a pair of brown slip-ons. For comfort, he had once told their group during a heated argument over his shoes. "My treat. I want you to tell me all about your trip."

"You really don't need to, Troy. I'm just going to go home, ok?"

"Then let me drive you," before she could protest, he had walked over to her, grabbed her shoes, and was herding her toward the car. He opened the door for her, laid the shoes on the floor, and shut the door after her before returning to the drivers side. She was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't realize she never gave him directions to her house and before she knew it, they were sitting in front of her favorite restaurant. Her eyes widened in delight, surprise and betrayal and she turned to him, "Troy! I said I wanted to go home!"

"Well I'm hungry and you need some cheering up. So put your shoes on and let's go," he slid his sunglasses off his face and got out of the car. She hurried up after him, in hopes that, for once, Troy Bolton could put her out of her misery.

**Hi friends! Thanks for patiently waiting for this next chapter. It's been kinda crazy because of the holiday and the beginning of summer, but I already have ideas for how I want this story to play out. Please let me know what you think, and stay tuned for the next chapter! Xoxo**


	4. Chapter 4

**I do not own High School Musical. **

**Please note, there may be some triggers for those who read this chapter, but it explains why Troy is the way he is.**

They had picked a table that was outside, near the lake where the restaurant sat and Gabriella looked across the water while Troy waited for their food. Something about him seemed different, but she couldn't quite put a finger on it. Maybe it was his hair cut, the fact that he was working out more, or that he just seemed like he had matured since she had left? She wasn't sure, but something about Troy had changed.

The first thing Gabriella ever learned about Troy was that he lived life by the motto "shoot first, ask questions later".

That became clear when he told her one night, two weeks before she left, that she was the only person in his life, other than his grandparents, that he couldn't lie to. Then he lifted his third jack and coke for the night to his lips and took a sip and let his tired eyes rest on her face.

Her mind had been reeling ever since.

She knew what had brought the topic up. That night the group was joining in on the celebration of his grandparents' 50th anniversary. They were always included in on the family gatherings so this was no different. His family was throwing an extravagant party for everyone his grandparents knew and, when asked how they made it work, his grandfather replied with, "We've never once lied to each other, even about the little things. That trust is what keeps us together".

Whenever his grandparents were brought up, it was the only time Troy showed love. They helped raise Troy after the accident and he could never repay them. His grandmother always bugged him about his way with women, saying he'd never be truly happy until he found a _good woman_.

For the entire time she had known him, he always had a line of women just waiting to be with him. He was good looking and charming, that couldn't be denied. But he always kept them at arm's length and never committed to just one person. She actually didn't know if he ever held a relationship for more than a few days.

What can you expect from the captain of the basketball team, the son of the basketball coach, the one who had grades good enough to be in the top ten of his college graduating class? Life just seemed to come easily for Troy Bolton, and he couldn't be blamed for taking the ride.

But life wasn't all unicorns and rainbows for him. Troy had watched his aunt be killed right in front of his eyes. They were having a cookout at his aunt and uncle's house, when his aunt was playing badminton with him in the front yard, and a car drove up, shot twice and left. It was gang related and she was just a victim of a case of wrong place, wrong time.

He was 10 years old. He yelled for his dad and uncle and cried until they got there. He never forgot the noise his uncle made when they loaded her into the ambulance. She was pronounced dead at the hospital.

He watched his uncle lose the love of his life and ultimately fall into a deep depression that he never got out of. He took his life a few years later.

From that day forward, Troy vowed to never love anyone. He couldn't bear the thought of losing the love of his life, just like his uncle did. So he became the womanizer he was. He wasn't proud of it, but it was the only thing that filled the emptiness in his heart, even if it was such a short amount of time. Love was something Troy Bolton would never allow himself to feel.

She didn't agree with his choice of lifestyle, but who was she to tell him that?

So that night of the party, when Troy had accidently told Gabriella that he had never been able to lie to her, she knew it was Troy code for, "You mean something to me".

She'd never told a soul about that night. Troy had been vulnerable for the first time in a long time and she was going to take that to her grave. Hell, she wasn't sure he remembered telling her, but it haunted her. She knew he was still hurting over all the emotions he'd felt then and now. It was hard to grow up like that and to now be at a point in life where all his friends were finding love? She couldn't imagine that pain. She was thankful this event had occurred before her time, but was sometimes wished she could have been there to help him through it. She just hoped something could smooth Troy's soul one day, and she hoped it was soon. He deserved a break in this awful game called love.

She bit her lip and fiddled with the paper from her straw. She knew she was reading too much into his drunken confession. He had a lot of time practicing warding off feelings and emotions and I t was only in books that a guy drastically changes his lifestyle because of a girl. But it was almost like that night was when Troy had changed. And as she looked back at him while he patiently waited for their food, she shook her head at her thoughts. It was silly of her to think the way she was. And even if she wasn't imagining the change, would she ever want to take that chance of if getting hurt by him? What would he even see in her? He didn't show any type of interest in her before the confession, in fact, he seemed indifferent towards her, so why would he show any now?

Her thoughts ceased when he set her food down in front of her and her stomach growled loudly. A blush spread over her cheeks when he chuckled softly at the noise and she covered her face with her hands.

"Troy Bolton, you'd better stop that right now," came her muffled voice, which only resulted in more laughs from him. She huffed and took the top bun off her pulled pork sandwich and stuck her fork in the meat. Troy watched her curiously as he chewed and swallowed before he opened his mouth to speak, "You know, I could have ordered it without the bun."

"It's easier this way, I hate having to ask them to not put the bun on. In my experience, it still comes with it anyway," came her reply.

Troy hummed in response and dipped a fry in his ketchup, "So, tell me about England."

"It was quite possibly the best thing that ever happened to me. I ate way too much food, but the experience alone was worth it. I never thought I'd be brave enough to go to another country on my own. I felt like a whole new person." Her eyes were shining and her smile gave away her happiness on the subject and Troy couldn't help but smile back at her. "It was so empowering to not only get the internship, but to also exceed their expectations of me and get hired back here when I got home." She continued then clamped her mouth shut in embarrassment. She never liked to brag about herself, she felt egotistical and hypocritical because she didn't like when people talked themselves up too much.

But Troy found it endearing when she did it. He had never seen her like this before, and he couldn't help this warm feeling that was flowing through his veins. It was new and confusing, but it felt good. "Please, go on." He prompted and felt his heart swell when a shy smile appeared on her face.

Troy watched her as she recounted her time spent in England and he decided right then and there that no other emotion could grace her face, other than happiness, for the rest of her life. And as he sat there with her, he realized how easy this life could be, how rewarding it would be to spend life with someone, anyone, but especially her.

He all but choked on his soda as that thought popped into his head.

No.

He had let it get too far already.

But he wanted it and he wanted so badly that his chest ached. For the first time in 13 years, he felt something other than emptiness and it felt _good. _

Gabriella didn't need him and his skeletons. She needed stability and someone she could count on. So why was he even thinking about this? She knew what she expected in a man, she had told him that point blank at the bar. It was selfish of him to think him to think he could be the reasoning for her happiness in life, when he wouldn't be able to provide the same for her.

It was a sobering thought and it tore him to shreds on the inside.

Was life mocking him? He watches love die, vows it off limits for life, and finds _something _in the innocent woman sitting opposite him.

Jesus, she hadn't even been kissed yet.

But as he sat and listened to her appreciate life, he just felt drawn to her.

Eight years. That's how long she had been a wallflower in his life and now he regretted every minute that he didn't pay attention to her.

She told him about the food, the sounds, the people. She gushed about the days where she was a typical tourist. She showed him pictures she had taken on her phone and the email that was sent to her, now, boss that recommended her for the position that she eventually took. She told him anything and everything she could think of which made him wonder if she had been able to tell anyone of her time in England.

He knew her mother was always on one business trip after another, which made for many lonely nights for Gabriella. It was why she was so good with her studies and an overachiever. She needed to feel accomplished and always tried to gain the attention of her mother. She was just trying to make her mother proud.

Taylor and Sharpay were only concerned with how she dressed, throwing her party and this guy that, unbeknownst to them, had stood her up. It wasn't that they were bad friends, it was just they didn't pick the right things to ask her about.

Her laughter bubbled up around them and her cheeks were flushed from her happiness and the humidity. Her hair had started to frizz and he could see some of her natural curl pattern coming through her previously perfectly curled hair. He had come to the conclusion that he loved the looked of her natural hair, loved the wild and unruly curls. It made her stand out in the world of straight and perfect hair. It made her stand out from every other woman he'd been with and damn it, he was hooked.

He figured they'd spent about two hours in that little restaurant, long after their meals had been finished and the sun had set, but he didn't care. He felt like he was floating and that feeling stayed long past after he dropped her off back at home. She had lingered in the car and Troy had almost let the question of staying with him tonight slip past his lips, but he didn't. He wanted nothing more than a woman to be in his bed. _His _bed. Something he'd never wanted before.

But he couldn't. Not tonight. And not for the reasons most would think. His heart was begging him, his skin was longing to have warmth beside him.

"Just let someone in!" His body seemed to scream.

But at the end of the day, as he shut off the lights and locked the door, he still slipped into bed, alone.

And Troy Bolton hated sleeping alone.

**Did I do ok? I'm sorry I'm so inconsistent with my updating, but this has been flowing freely now that I've gotten passed the awkward beginning and if you've gotten passed it as well, I'm screaming THANK YOU to you! As usual, let me know what you think! Xoxo**


	5. Chapter 5

**I do not own High School Musical. **

"I still can't believe he stood you up!" Gabriella rolled her eyes at the fact that this conversation was still happening.

"Taylor, it's not a big deal. I didn't even know him! Can we seriously move onto, I don't know, _anything _else?" The exasperation in Gabriella's voice was apparently lost on Taylor as the conversation continued.

"It should be though! What kind of man just stands someone up?"

"Taylor, we've talked about this every day this week. It's now Saturday. Let's move on or I'm hanging up."

"I've got to go anyway, Chad's got something stuck in his hair. Bye!" The click of the phone had Gabriella sighing in relief. She loved Taylor, but she was tired of rehashing the fact that she got stood up by a man who only bought her coffee. It was done and over with and five days ago. Life moves on.

_Heaven help Chad if he ever slips up, _Gabriella thought to herself.

She was spending the afternoon in her office trying to make it a little more homey. She was thankful she still had the things she'd bought in England that decorated the studio apartment she'd stayed in.

She resumed the playlist that had been playing before Taylor called her and started setting up her pictures on the wall. there were pictures from throughout the years, some of the group, some of her and her mom, some at concerts or parties. The most recent picture had been of her and Sharpay at her homecoming party. They must have been mid laugh because their expressions were pure, but what caught her eye was the way Troy was looking at her. He was sitting on a bar stool, a beer in his hand with a look of admiration on his face. Sharpay was between them, and while she and Sharpay were looking at each other and laughing, Troy had positioned his body to look around Sharpay and right at her. That look of admiration was the same look he had on his face when she was telling him about England. At about the same time she set the picture on her desk, her phone beeped the tone for a text and she picked it up.

_What are you doing today?_

Troy? He had never really texted her outside of the group text, other than holidays or things like that.

_Putting a few things up in my office. Why?_

_Have you had lunch?_

_No…why?_

Her phone started ringing and she picked it up, "Hello?"

"Is your favorite still margarita pizza?"

She blinked in confusion, "Yes, why?"

But before he responded, the phone clicked and silence filled her ear.

She blew out a breath of air and fixed her ponytail before getting back to arranging her picture frames. She set a pillow on her window and battery operated candles on the top shelf of her bookshelf.

During the week, she had peaked into a few of her coworkers' offices to see how they had theirs laid out and realized pretty much anything goes. One woman even had a small rack of clothing and another had a fish tank! The only common denominator was that they all had the same color walls, so Gabriella figured she could hang some curtains to add a little color.

She was standing on a chair and struggling to get the curtain rod hung up when she heard a voice behind her.

"So is your usual dress code a pair of yoga pants and a tank top, or do I need to always unexpectedly surprise you with pizza to get this lucky?" His voice startled her so much that she dropped the curtain rod onto hit her head and it fell to the floor with a bang.

He swore loudly and rushed over, held out a hand to help her down off the chair then guided her over to her desk for her to sit on. "Shit, Gabriella, I am so sorry." His voice was laced with concern and he grabbed a napkin to help clean up the wound that the rod produced.

"Troy, I'm ok." Her voice was cut off with a wince as he waved her off and pressed the napkin gently to her head.

He spoke a stern, "Don't move," and he disappeared out the door and returned only moments later with a plastic sandwich bag and some ice. They were lucky she was across from the break room. He came in close to her again and she tensed at the way his body seemed to tower over hers. She had an up close view of his face and the muscles that protruded under his shirt and suddenly, the throbbing in her head was the least of her worries. Upclose, he was godlike and she chastised herself for the way her body reacted and she bit down on her lip so hard she was sure she would draw blood.

_Where the hell did that come from? _

It wasn't the first time he'd been near, but it was the first time she'd had this reaction to him.

She cleared her throat and winced again when the bag of ice was pressed to her head. "Troy, how did you get here?"

"I googled your company and found the address. The security officer let me in and directed me here after I said I was here to see you with some lunch." And then he silenced her with a look and they sat there for what felt like an eternity, with her sitting on her desk and him between her legs and pressing the ice pack to her throbbing head.

She counted the ticks from the clock, watched the birds fly in front of the window, basically did anything that could get the dirty thoughts out of her head. But it didn't work. His intoxicating smell, his warm breath on her cheek and his hand on the back of her head to keep her still, all created a fury of emotions that she struggled to stamp down.

Sure, she was innocent, but she was still a woman.

When Troy felt it was time, he removed the ice pack and covered her wound with a bandaid he'd found the the first aid kit in the kitchen.

"Am I going to live, doctor?" Her voice was a little was a little husky when she spoke and Troy raised his eyebrows in curiosity at the sound.

"Yes, but you need to be under strict medical observation. I happen to know if someone willing to do the job."

"Oh yeah?"

"Mhmm."

"Well then I appreciate it, Doctor Bolton." She winked at him and slid off the desk and moved to where he dropped the pizza, leaving Troy to stare after her and count to ten.

"Are you dizzy or anything?" He asked her once his mind was rated PG again.

"I told you, Troy. Im fine. Just a bump on the head." Her mouth watered when she opened up the box. She let out a moan of appreciation and it sent Troy's head into overdrive.

_Deep breaths. In. Out. In. Out. _

"So what are you doing here?" He needed to do anything to get his mind off her.

"Oh, just decorating. I didn't have any plans for the day and wanted to set up. I was doing great until someone came in and made a comment about being lucky."

"Luckiest man alive."

Her cheeks brightened and she cleared her throat.

"It's just yoga pants and a tank top, Troy. You've seen me in a bathing suit and didn't bat an eye."

"And I was fucking stupid, Gabriella. And I guarantee you will have my full attention from today, on."

He didn't think it was possible, but he watched her face turn a darker shade of red and he smirked, "Pizza?"

"I...uh...sure." She said quietly and turned her eyes away from him in embarrassment and towards the pizza.

His smirk turned to a frown and he placed a hand on her hip. The sudden contact caused Gabriella to jump and turn toward him. "Hey, I didn't mean to upset you and I'm sorry I made you hit your head." His eyes found hers and held them, then scanned the bandages area and winced when he saw the makings of a bruise forming. "Really, I am and to make up for it, I'm at your service until my show tonight." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively which made her giggle.

"All I'm doing is doing is decorating...it's not that exciting."

"Well, one thing's for sure, you will not being hanging up the curtains." That made her laugh out loud which caused Troy to smile. They made small talk in between their bites of food and by the time they finished, they were sitting side by side with their shoulders touching.

"Alright." He clapped his hands and stood up. "Let's get this show in the road. No," he held his hands out to stop her from getting up. "You stay there," then he turned back to the curtains and stepped up onto the chair.

"You're much different than I thought."

"Oh yeah?" He replied and hung the first curtain up. "How so?"

"Well, you're very good at hanging curtains." He chuckled and reached for the second curtain she was handing him then hung it up. "And two, you're also good at taking care of the wounded after you've startled them."

"Gram was a nurse and she'd be disappointed in me for not helping an injured person, especially one I hurt and especially one she loves AND is as beautiful as you."

"You keep saying that and I'll think you're lying."

"I can't lie to you, remember?"

Her eyes widened and suddenly she had to remind herself how to breathe, "You…"

"Yeah, I remember. So every time I tell you you're beautiful? Know it's the truth." His eyes suddenly turned a slate color, something she had never seen before. They could cut the tension in the room, but she could see the storm brewing behind them when he stepped closer to her and into her personal space. "And don't you dare let anyone make you feel or tell you otherwise, ok? I've spent too damn long not telling you and I'm not about to let someone else tear you down." She stumbled slightly when she went to lean against the desk, which made him brace himself on the desk behind her to keep her from falling.

Which also meant he trapped her, like a predator traps his prey.

She had trouble processing what he just said, so when he asked her again if she understood him, all she could do was nod.

He seemed to be happy with her response, but held her gaze, "I have a show tonight. Come with me?"

She muttered a meek, "Sure," and held her breath when he came in to kiss her cheek. She heard him swear under his breath as he pulled away and he nodded at her. "I have to go, but I'll pick you up at five." With that he grabbed his keys and wallet then walked out the door with the empty pizza box in hand.

Gabriella wanted to call out to him, because she was suddenly dizzy, but she didn't because it had nothing to do with the curtain rod.

**I've had this chapter stuck in my head, but I'm not sure I portrayed it correctly. I've rewritten every piece of this chapter at least twice, if not more and took out a whole chunk to use later in the story because it was too soon. So I hope it's alright. After how excited I was about the last chapter, this one's not giving me quite the same feeling...**

**Also, is there a rule against how many times I can update in a week...or a day? ;) Xoxo**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I do not own High School Musical or the song Learned My Lesson by Chris Daughtry. **

**This story has been renamed. It was Drops of Jupiter, but is now called His Reason. **

**Also, a huge thank you to my beta reader Sophia Anne Moore for helping me through this project. Make sure to check out her stuff!**

* * *

Gabriella had decided to not call Taylor and Sharpay this time. Something made her want to do this on her own.

She was in a dark pair of jeans and a black leather jacket over a white button-down tank top. She sat cross-legged on her bed with a mirror held up to do her makeup, occasionally checking the clock to make sure she wasn't running late. Troy told her he would pick her up at five and she was just putting on a pair of black flats when the doorbell rang. She spritzed some lavender-scented perfume on and ran down the steps to the door.

The first thing a man like Troy Bolton should have noticed was either the small amount of cleavage that peaked from her shirt, or the leather he never thought he'd see her in…or the jeans that seemed to be painted on, but what he noticed first was _her_. Her aura sucked him in and he was pretty sure he could have been pronounced dead at the scene. All his vital functions seemed to stop for a good ten seconds before his brain and mouth could work together to formulate the word, "Wow."

He had to clear his throat after she raised an eyebrow at him and asked if what she was wearing was ok, so he was thankful his functions had begun restoring and he could utter a breathless, "Perfect."

He was rewarded with a smile and a gleam in her eye at the compliment before she pulled the door shut. Troy knew alarm bells should have gone off somewhere, telling him he needed to run and run fast, but he wouldn't have been able to even if he tried.

He got this giddy feeling when he knew he would be seeing her. The hair on his arms and neck would stand up when he smelled her perfume or heard her voice. His heart would race and his palms would sweat when he would see her. The voices in his head would cease just by her being near. She was the calm and the storm in his life and it was wreaking havoc on his system and when she started walking towards his car then turned back to ask him if he was coming, he could have died right there on her front porch and been ok with it.

RIP.

He willed his hands to stop shaking and she ducked her head at him when he opened the black Audi S6's door.

_What was he doing? _He never gave anything more than the bare minimum before because he didn't want to give the women any reason to want to stick around. Now here he was opening car doors and putting on the charm, knowing the night would not end up with her in his bed for an R-rated night and he was shocked to find that he was ok with that.

A heavy breath passed his lips while he walked around to his side and sat down.

"So where are we going?" Came her voice.

"It's a place called Rockets. Never heard of it before, but Mack says he's been there." Mack was the drummer of the band.

She hummed in response and slid her sunglasses on and her flats off before she settled back in her seat and he started the hour long drive. They filled the time with an intense game of I-Spy.

"There was no man dressed in a lady liberty suit!" He exclaimed as he merged onto the off ramp of the highway.

She waved him off, "It's not my fault that you can't accept you lost!"

"Well I think you're seeing things," he grumbled and parked the car in the lot of the bar. He pulled out his phone and called Mack who said they were already inside and to come to the side door marked "Employees Only".

They got out of the car and Troy grabbed his guitar case, locked the car and placed a hand on the small of her back to keep her close. Just going off the looks of the building, the place seemed a little rougher than the bar back home and he didn't want her to get into any trouble.

The pair slipped into the building and followed a man named Marty to where the band members were setting up their instruments. Gabriella decided to sit on the leather couch, in an attempt to fade into the background as to not provide too much of a distraction. She was relieved when Kate, Mack's girlfriend, sat next to her, so she wasn't alone. They'd other met each other a few times, but they seemed to hit it off. The girls exchanged pleasantries and returned to watching the band set up.

Before the show began, Gabriella excused herself to the staff bathroom to freshen up, then returned and furrowed her eyebrows when she discovered Troy was missing. "He's out back," came Kate's voice and Gabriella nodded in thanks and turned took off towards the door.

When she emerged the first thing she took note of was the sun sinking low on the horizon, painting the sky a variety of reds, oranges, yellows and purples. The second thing she noticed was the smell of cigarette smoke and she turned towards the source of the smell.

"You smoke?" She asked when she found Troy leaning against the building, with his head tipped back on the wall, his eyes closed and a cigarette burning in his hand.

"Only when it gets to be too much to handle." His eyes opened and his head stayed tipped back as he brought the stick to his mouth to take a drag.

"When what gets to be too much?"

He let the smoke settle in his chest before he blew it back out, "The voices. Life. I'm not crazy...just too much going on in my head."

His explanation made her blink and she moved to stand next to him, leaning against the wall she asked, "Anything I can help with?"

He pushed himself off the wall and turned towards her, "No." he lifted his foot and put the cigarette out on the sole then threw the butt in the can designated for smoking. "Not right now anyway."

She nodded at him and bit her lip. "Your grandparents would kill you if they found out."

"Seeing as I've done it for years and you're the only person to know, I'd say I'm pretty good at keeping the secret and you only found out because I was ok with it." He slid his sunglasses up onto his head and explained further, with a sigh, "The pack usually goes stale before I finish a quarter of it. It's not a habit, it's just something that quiets my mind."

She finally looked at him, really looked at him and noticed the bags under his eyes and the way his face just shouted, tired. She saw the sadness, pain and confusion in his eyes and she reached up to touch his cheek, but stopped before actually touching him. "What's wrong, Troy?"

"I can't." He whispered lowly and closed his eyes. "Gabriella, please. I can't talk about it right now."

"Ok," She said quietly with a nod. He stepped away from her and just as quickly as he showed his vulnerability, he replaced it with his mask of confidence with a smirk.

"So, Miss Montez, I'm digging this leather jacket and tight jeans thing."

He wiggled his eyebrows at her and her jaw dropped, "Are you kidding me? What the hell, Troy?"

"Gabriella, chill," he said with a small grin. "I've been waiting to tell you that since I saw you. Perfect way to lighten the mood."

"You are infuriating. Did you know that?"

"I'm still Troy, babe. And I just have to say, you're sexy as hell when you're irritated," he winked in her direction and went to open the door.

She huffed at the sudden change in mood and followed him inside.

Troy picked up his guitar and started to strum some cords, while keeping an eye on Gabriella's form. "Marty," He said and motioned to the bar employee that was tasked to helping the band, "The girl over there? The one in the leather jacket, whatever she drinks goes on my tab," the employee nodded at Troy, gave him a slight smirk after looking in Gabriella's direction and walked her to ask her if she wanted a drink.

"Two minutes!" The stage manager called to the band and Troy made his way over to Gabriella's side.

"I told Marty to let the bartender know I've got your drinks, by the way."

"You don't need to do that."

"You're here with me, of course I've got your drinks."

"You guys are on," the strange manager called and Troy nodded at Gabriella.

"Enjoy the show," he said to her then went to take his place with the band.

Gabriella moved to the wing of the stage after the bartender brought her the cranberry martini she ordered and looked out at the crowd of about 200 people. She felt a smile spread across her face when Troy strummed the guitar and started to sing.

_Tonight the sunset means so much_

_The one thing that you know you'll never touch_

_Like the feeling, the real thing_

_I reach out for the sweet dream_

_But somehow the darkness wakes me up_

_And I've felt this emptiness before (I've felt this emptiness before)_

_But all the times that I've been broken_

_I still run right back for more_

The people in the crowd began to cheer as the band made their way through the song.

_You'd think that I'd learn my lesson by now_

_You'd think that I'd somehow figure out_

_That if you strike the match_

_You're bound to feel the flame_

_You think that I'd learn the cost of love_

_Paid that price long enough_

_But still I drive myself right through the pain_

_Yeah, well it turns out I haven't learned a thing_

She smiled proudly as Troy's face lit up at the crowd's reaction to the song.

_Sometimes I think I'm better off_

_To turn out the lights and close up shop_

_And give up the longing, believing in belonging_

_Just hold down my head and take the loss_

_You'd think that I'd learn my lesson by now_

_You'd think that I'd somehow figure out_

_That if you strike the match_

_You're bound to feel the flame_

_You'd think that I'd learn the cost of love_

_Paid that price long enough_

_But still I drive myself right through the pain_

_Yeah, well it turns out I haven't learned a thing_

While most people heard the love in the song, she heard the love and loss behind it. Her heart ached for him, the life he was handed and hoped he would be able to find his happiness.

_You'd think that I'd learn my lesson by now_

_You'd think that I'd somehow figure out_

_That if you strike that match_

_You're bound to feel the flame_

_You'd think that I'd learn the cost of love_

_Paid that price long enough_

_But still I drive myself right through the pain_

_(Still I drive myself right through the pain)_

_Yeah, well it turns out I haven't learned a thing_

_You'd think that I'd learn my lesson by now_

_You'd think that I'd somehow figure out_

_I haven't learned a thing_

_I haven't learned, I haven't learned_

_I haven't learned a thing_

As Troy's voice faded out, he looked over in Gabriella's direction and winked at her.

She cheered along to the band's four other songs and ordered two more drinks before the band finished their set and came offstage.

"You guys did great!" Kate exclaimed and missed Mack when he returned to her side.

"Thank you, baby," he said and smiled.

"Probably the best show we've had!" Troy said excitedly and twisted the cap off the water bottle he had taken from the mini fridge.

"It was a great show," Gabriella agreed and looked in Troy's direction and took in his "just performed" form. He was wearing a light wash pair of jeans, black converse and a black v-neck shirt. He was flushed and covered in a light coating of sweat, but he was happy.

He ran a hand through his sweat dampened hair and gratefully took the jack and coke Gabriella had ordered him and downed it, but made sure it was his only drink for the night.

Once the excitement from the performance wore off a bit, Troy ushered Gabriella out the deck which was a bit quieter than inside. It had turned into a bit more of a party scene than Troy wanted Gabriella to be around and he was thankful for the separation.

"Thank you for coming here tonight."

"Absolutely, I had a great time. It was even better that someone paid for my drinks," her giggle followed closely behind and she brushed some hair out of her face. "You really like being on the stage."

"I do. I mean, I love teaching, but this," he nodded back towards the bar, "just gives me a rush,"

"Hey, Troy?"

"Hmm?"

"You know I won't tell anyone about the smoking thing, right?"

"I do. You make me feel like I can tell you anything without judgement. I've never had that before. My life probably would have been easier if I had just opened my eyes a little wider and really saw who you were. You always intrigued me, but I thought you wanted nothing to do with me because of my past." His confession made her pucker her lips and Troy had this sudden overwhelming feeling of needing to kiss her, but he restrained himself.

"I'm sorry I made you feel that way, but thank you for trusting me."

"Thank you for giving me someone to trust." He watched her finish off her third drink for the night and looked at his watch, "It's getting pretty late, ready to go?"

She nodded her head and took Troy's outstretched hand, which he held the whole way inside to grab his guitar and said goodbye to the rest of the band. Her drinks had her feeling tipsy and she leaned into him for support as they made their way back to the car. He opened the door and settled her in before putting his guitar in the back and making his way to the drivers side. When he got in she had already turned the music down and crossed her legs at the ankles, making sure she was comfortable for the hour long drive.

It didn't take long for her drinks to wear off and tiredness to set in and the next time Troy looked over in her direction, she had nodded off. Her hand was between her head and the window and her hair fell down, tracing the curve of her breast. When he stopped at the next stoplight, he let his eyes linger on her a little bit longer then he merged back onto the highway to make his way back home.

When Troy pulled up to Gabriella's house, he shook her awake and helped her inside. After the made sure she'd settled comfortably, he went to leave, but her sleepy voice pulled him back to her. "Stay." She whispered.

"Gabriella, I shouldn't..."

"Please, stay." she whispered again. "It's too late for you to leave."

Troy closed his eyes and tipped his head back. "No, I can't."

She pouted at him, "Why?"

"Trust me, I'd love to stay, but I don't want you to wake up tomorrow morning with the wrong impression. We can talk tomorrow, ok?" He said quietly and back his way towards the door.

She yawned and settled back into the bed, "Ok."

Troy sighed and made his way back to his car, turning the lights off and locking her door as he left. He'd give anything to stay with her for the night, but he didn't want to jinx whatever they had going, just because he didn't want to sleep alone.

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**A/N: Well, this was quite long! Drop a comment and let me know what you think! Xoxo. **


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I do not own High School Musical. **

**Also, a huge thank you to my beta reader Sophia Anne Moore for helping me through this project. Make sure to check out her stuff!**

* * *

Troy had been woken early this morning by a call from his Gram, saying she was tired of waiting to see Gabriella. Apparently she and Gabriella had hit it off over the years and now his grandparents were inviting everyone over tonight for dinner to, once again, celebrate Gabriella's return.

So, Troy did as he was told and sent out a group text saying Gram and Pap were inviting everyone over tonight to celebrate, which roughly translated to: attendance was required.

He'd received responses from everyone except the guest of honor, which only made him chuckle, knowing she had to be sleeping off the night before.

He was trying to write his lesson plans. He really was, but he jumped up every time his phone beeped, just waiting for her name to pop up. After a half hour and only two sentences, he gave up, decided the kids would just watch a movie instead, put his paperwork away and went to make himself some coffee.

He stepped onto the hardwood floor of the kitchen and made his way over to the counter that held his coffee pot. His kitchen, aside from the antique upright piano in his living room, was his favorite part of his two bedroom, one bathroom townhouse.

He was stirring his coffee when, in the midst of the texts from the group, he finally saw her name pop up.

_Ok, I'll be there. _

That was the group text reply. The second one from her was just to him and it read:

_I hate you. I really hate you. _

He laughed out loud and promptly dialed her number.

He took a sip from the cup while the phone rang twice, and she answered the call with a groggy, "I have two reasons I'm going to this today. First, it's to see Gram. Second, it's to make your life hell."

His voice gave away his amused smile, "So, what I'm learning is, you are not a morning person."

She grumbled under her breath, "When I'm slightly hungover and I woke up to about twenty texts, no. Why'd you let me drink that last one?"

He avoided her question by saying, "I'm assuming you haven't gotten out of bed yet. I laid out some Advil and a water bottle on your dresser." She went silent and he heard some shuffling while she, he assumed, put the phone down to investigate.

"Well that was very kind of you, thank you," She said when she returned to the phone.

"You're welcome. So when did you and my Grandma hit it off?"

"Listen, when you're an old lady at heart, you just attract your kind of people." She paused to take a sip of water, "I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm kind of the outcast and she took me under her wing."

"I had no idea. God, the more I talk to you, the more I realize I need to pay attention more." He finished off his coffee and set the empty cup in the sink. "Hey, I've gotta go grade some papers. I'll see you later, ok?"

"Ok, bye Troy."

He set the phone down on the counter and looked out the window into his small backyard. How did he miss Gabriella getting so close to his Gram? It's true, his grandparents really stepped into that parental roll for Troy, which also meant they got to know his friends.

It had always been just Troy and his dad, Jack. His mother and father had a nasty divorce six months after Troy had been born, he didn't know a whole lot about her except her name, and the picture he kept in his dresser drawer. In the divorce, Troy's mother relinquished all parental rights. The father and son were best buds until the day his uncle took his life and after that, nothing had ever been the same. Jack spiraled out of control when his brother died, and Troy felt his dad, in a convoluted way, blamed Troy for his uncle losing his life.

Troy's grandparents, on the other hand, were saints, and although they were hurting from the loss of their youngest son, they also recognized Jack's rejection of Troy. He would spend days without his father speaking to him. Some nights he would call his grandparents telling them he hadn't gotten dinner that night and that his father was passed out drunk on the couch. In one of Troy's darkest memories, his dad had left Troy by himself for three days before his grandparents came and picked him up, he was only twelve. Troy spent so much time with his grandparents while he was growing up, that he had a bedroom at their house. He was their only grandchild, so he figured that was why they enjoyed having his friends over so much, which continued well into his adult life and after they moved over forty five minutes away.

He sat back down at the desk in his office and forced himself to grade his students' papers until it was time to leave. Luckily, the school year was over in a month and he wouldn't have to worry about grading for a while.

Across town, Gabriella was absentmindedly making herself breakfast. She had her thoughts on the blue eyed, sandy haired man that she just gotten off the phone with.

She'd had so much fun with him last night. This Troy that she was getting to know, was much different than the one she'd known for the last eight years. This Troy was someone she could get used to. But the thing about him smoking? She hated that he was so troubled, that he was in so much pain.

The smell of burning eggs brought her out of her thoughts and, with her breakfast now ruined, she changed into her running gear and headed out the door. The fact that her jeans were tighter than when she'd left for England had her walking and running as often as she could.

She was thankful that her headache had subsided just enough from the Advil she'd taken that the pounding of her feet on the sidewalk, and the music playing in her ears, gave Gabriella peace while she ran the mile and a half journey to Panera Bread. She ordered a mediterranean egg white wrap and a coffee before settling down at a table. She ate her breakfast then walked back home and straightened up her apartment before hopping in the shower to get ready for dinner.

Troy was naturally the first person to show up for dinner and he was met with one of Gram's hugs that made him forget everything that was going wrong. He held it for just a bit longer than normal, relishing in the love only a Grandmother could produce. When they pulled away, Gram placed both her hands on his cheeks and smiled brightly at him, "I always tell my friends at bingo that I have the most handsome grandson. They love when I show them your picture."

She winked and Troy blushed before rolling his eyes. "Gram, you gotta stop doing that. I don't want to be held accountable for any heart attacks that may occur." He grinned cheekily then was shoved aside when his grandmother caught a glimpse of Gabriella who had walked up behind them.

"Oh, Gabriella! It's so good to see you! You look wonderful! I can't wait to hear all about your trip! I was just telling Troy here how all my friends have crushes on him, but this is much more exciting." Gram "whispered" in her ear, but made sure it was loud enough that Troy could hear.

"Gram! Don't embarrass me! And since when did I become chopped liver?!" He jokingly whined and shot a playful grin at the older woman.

"Oh, you hush, young man. That's what us grandparents do," came a deeper voice from the older blue eyed man that had walked into the room.

"He's right, Troy." His grandmother said as she hurried Gabriella inside, who was laughing at their banter.

"Great, you get here and suddenly it's all about Gabriella." He grumbled with a mocking jazz hands move and shut the door.

"Well, it _is_ my party," she reminded him and followed the older woman into the kitchen. Troy's eyes followed her then focused back on his grandfather, who was grinning at him knowingly.

"So, when are you going to settle down and find a good girl like her?" His grandfather motioned toward the brown haired beauty.

"Save it, Pap." Troy held out his hand to stop the conversation before it even began and walked away from his laughing grandfather.

Troy was standing at the grill while more people filed in to the landscaped backyard. He had his sunglasses pulled down over his eyes with one hand in his pocket and he was currently flipping the burgers and hotdogs like clockwork. It was tradition for him to be the one manning the grill ever since he was old enough to do so, a task his grandfather was happy to hand over.

There was a slight breeze blowing which caused Gabriella's floral dress to shift and her hair to blow out of her face. Troy's head snapped to his left when his grandmother gasp loudly, "Gabriella! What on earth happened to your head!"

Everyone's eyes landed on Gabriella who was trying to move her hair back into place. Her eyes flickered to his before she quickly replied with, "I was hanging up curtains in my office and the rod fell." She didn't lie, just didn't tell the whole truth. "I'm ok, Gram." Came her reply when the older woman came to inspect the wound and bruise.

Troy watched the pair carefully then grabbed the serving tray from Pap.

"You already found a girl like her, didn't you?" The older man asked him quietly.

"Yeah, a girl _like_ her." Troy joked and gave Pap a look then started taking the food off the grill, then quickly called to the group, "Food's ready!"

Pap hummed quietly with a smile on his face, knowing there was only one girl like Gabriella, and followed Troy to the picnic table that had been lined by a variety of foods to accompany dinner.

"Thank you for dinner, Gram and Pap." Gabriella said which was followed by a chorus of thank yous from around the table.

Gram replied happily, "You're very welcome my dear. Now tell us how your trip was!"

And so, Gabriella retold her story and Troy couldn't help but listen intently. He liked how her face would light up talking about her internship and how she would blush slightly again when she talked about how much food she ate.

_Not that she has anything to worry about, _he thought to himself.

At some point, the conversation has switched to what everyone had done over the weekend and he refocused on the conversation when Taylor asked him how his show was last night.

"It was one of the best we've had! I wish you all could have been there to see it." He smiled happily and let his eyes flicker to Gabriella, who smiled back, which hadn't gone unnoticed by Pap.

"Bring anyone back home?" Jason asked with a sly grin. He was the only other male in the group that didn't have a significant other, so the two boys enjoyed telling each either of their escapades.

Troy paused and put down his hot dog and fiddled with the collar of his red polo, "Uh, no." The table went silent in disbelief.

"Bullshit." Came Jason's reply

"Actually it's not, I haven't brought anyone home in," Troy raised his eyes to the sky as he thought back, "about a month, maybe more."

He heard a fork hit the table and suddenly all eyes were on him and he was met with a fury of statements.

"Are you sick?"

"Tell me you're ok."

"Suddenly swing the other way?"

"Maybe he's found someone!"

"No, Troy would never want to settle down with anyone."

"I'm not gay!" Troy cried out and rolled his eyes. "Geez guys, I didn't know everyone cared about my sex life. Let me know if you want a play by play next time." He ducked his head as the last comment rolled around in his head. _"Troy would never want to settle down with anyone."_

"We're just shocked, that's all." Came Taylor's voice. Agreements circled around the table and Troy's eyes found Gabriella's from across the table. She was looking at him with an expression he couldn't decipher and suddenly he wished he could read minds.

His grandparents looked at each other and back at the two that were looking at each other, that everyone else seemed to be ignoring.

Gabriella finished her plate and excused herself to use the bathroom. Her mind was reeling and she looked at herself in the mirror as she pulled her dress down around her thighs. _What was_ she_ doing? _

She wanted to think he was spending all this time with her because he liked her, but with his history, she couldn't help but doubt that was true. There was nothing about her that compared to the women that had been waltzing in and out of his life. If there was one thing she knew about herself, it was that she was naive, unlike Troy, which only made her wonder if he was only doing these things because he wanted another notch on his belt?

She bit her lip at the thought. In all her years of being friends, she obviously spent much more time observing than he did, which meant she knew his behavior had changed. Troy never had trouble attracting any female attention and he never spent an extended amount of time focusing on one person, but she could just be reading too far into his sudden attention.

She also knew that the anniversary of his aunt's death was coming up in the next few weeks, could that be the reason why he was like this all of a sudden?

Her thoughts were cut off by a knock on the door and Troy quickly entering the small room then closing the door.

"Troy! What do you think you're doing! My god, what if I had still been on the toilet?" She whispered harshly.

"Then this would have been one of my greatest moments." He replied quietly and watched her flush in a mix of anger and mortification.

She crossed her arms over her chest, "Get out."

"Why did you look as surprised as the rest of them? You're the only one I've been talking to you since you came home."

"Troy, get out." She tried to reach around him to open the door, but he grabbed her wrist. "I don't want to talk about this right now."

"So, you're just avoiding my question?"

"If you don't get out by the count of three, I will scream. One…..two…..-" She was just about to say three when he covered her mouth with his hand. Her eyes widened so far he thought they'd fall out of her head.

"Answer the question, Gabriella." He demanded softly and uncovered her mouth just enough that she could reply, but kept it close enough in case she screamed like she said she would.

"Troy, do you understand that we've watched you bring home girl after girl for years? How am I supposed to know I'm "the only girl you've been talking to"? So excuse me for being shocked." She had a fire in her eyes that he hadn't seen before and suddenly the small room felt smaller. "I don't know what you do outside of the time we spend together, and frankly I'm not in the position to ask. I don't even know what I am to you! Now if you'll please let me go before someone comes looking for us." Her eyes held his and he moved away from her and let her pass by him, but not without getting a glare from her.

He rested his hands on either side of the sink, sighed heavily and counted to ten. Maybe cornering her wasn't the best way to handle the situation; but she was feisty and damn, if that didn't attract him even more. She was right earlier, when she said she'd make his life hell today, he just didn't think she meant in this way at that time.

He composed himself and left the bathroom and joined the group outside for cake and ice cream. The girls were all with his grandmother and the guys were playing a game of basketball, with his grandfather playing the part of the referee.

By the end of the night, a pack of sparklers had been passed around and were being lit. Kelsi was taking pictures of the group and set her phone on the table in order to get a group picture. They all packed in close as the phone captured the moment in time before they dispersed and headed back home.

Troy was the last to leave and while he hugged his grandparents goodbye, his grandmother whispered in his ear that she loved him and his grandfather shook his hand before pulling him into a hug.

"Give it time Troy, _everything_ will work out in the end." His grandfather said as he got in his car and as Troy made his way home, all he could do was hope that the wise, old man was right.

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**A/N: Fun fact about me, I don't get hangovers. I've done my fair share of drinking and I just don't get hangovers and neither does my mom. So, thanks, mom for passing that down! :D**

**Thanks for all the love! Xoxo**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I do not own High School Musical.**

**Also, a huge thank you to my beta reader Sophia Anne Moore for helping me through this project. Make sure to check out her stuff!**

* * *

It was only fitting that the rain was pouring on this awful day. If it were any other weather, Troy would say it's life messing with him again. It was the anniversary of Troy's family being ripped apart and as hard as he tried, his depression always got in the way on this day.

He knew sitting in the bar wouldn't help him feel better. He also knew it was the only way to drown out the flashbacks. Troy would pay any amount of money to get this day wiped off the calendar, if it meant the pain would fade just enough so it wouldn't be so sharp.

He flagged down the bartender and ordered another beer, it was number...he wasn't sure.

The only silver lining was that it was a Friday, meaning he could drink his sorrows away and recover over the weekend. He'd taken the day off, knowing he would be of no help to his students today.

Troy watched people, distorted by the rain drops on the glass, walk by the window. Some were laughing at their partners, some were running out of the rain, some were huddled under their umbrellas, but none of them knew there was a man just feet from them, falling apart.

He ran a hand over his face and let out a heavy sigh as he played with his now half full beer bottle, wishing he could smoke inside the bar.

He'd tried to call his father earlier, something he did every year but, as usual, he got sent straight to voicemail. Some days he wished he could talk to his dad, like any other son does. He carried so much pain and guilt in his heart, that he knew only a parent would be able to comfort.

Troy looked up at the dimly lit clock and realized he'd been there the whole day and had no idea how much liquid was coursing through his body, but he felt numb. Finally.

Gabriella was sitting in her living room, listening to the rain through the open window, as she read her book. She had texted Troy on her lunch to let him know she was there for him, and all he replied with was, "Thank you", and that was it from him. So, to say she was shocked when her phone rang with a man introducing himself as Officer Tim Hanley asking if she knew Troy, was an understatement.

"Hello, is this Gabriella Montez?"

"I'm sorry, who is this?"

"Officer Tom Hanley, I'm with the Albuquerque Police Department. Is this Gabriella?"

"Oh, yes. How can I help you?"

"Troy Bolton asked me to call you. Does that name sound familiar?"

Her heart dropped. The police? "Yes, is he ok?"

"He's drunk, but fine. Would you be willing to pick him up at The Pub on fifth? If not, he's going to have to spend the night at the station, sleeping off his hangover."

"Yes. I will be there in twenty minutes." She hung up the phone and rushed to get changed and grab her purse and keys, all the while worrying about what state she would find Troy in.

Back at the bar, Officer Hanley was hanging up the phone and sighed as he looked at the man who'd grown up way too fast. Officer Hanley was the first officer on the scene of the shooting. He was also called to the scene where Troy's uncle had taken his own life. He'd picked up Troy's inebriated dad a few times around Albuquerque. He knew Troy wouldn't cause any actual harm to anyone, he was just in pain. It was the first time Troy had any kind of run in with the law, which was why he wasn't arresting him on the charges of disorderly conduct.

"Gabriella's on her way, Troy." He told the man who was still sitting on his barstool.

"Gabriella?" He hiccuped and tried to focus on the Officer in front of him. "Gabriella…" Officer Hanley saw a moment of clarity in his blue eyes as he mumbled, "I'm going to ask her to be my wife one day. But she'll probably turn me down. She's too good for this."

Then as quick as it appeared, the clarity was gone and the Officer sighed, "You've gotta clean yourself up first, son."

"Gabriella deserves better….," another hiccup, "...betterthanme." His words slurred together and Troy wiggled his arms around. "Do I have to wear these?"

"Until your ride gets here." Troy deflated against the bar at the Officer's response while he waited for Gabriella to arrive.

Gabriella bit her lip as she walked into the dark bar and searched for Troy or the officer that called her. When she saw the uniform of the officer, she made her way towards where he was standing and felt her heart break at the sight of Troy. His clothes and hair were disheveled, he hadn't shaved, and he looked exhausted, but his eyes lit up at the sight of her and she could make out his lips saying, "That's her."

The officer met her halfway across the room and introduced himself.

"Will you be ok taking him home?"

"Yes, I should be fine," she said with her arms crossed over her chest, not taking her eyes off the intoxicated man who was staring intently at her.

"It's just a case of disorderly conduct. He wasn't trying to drive home, but had accused the bartender of taking his keys, when really he'd handed them over before the first drink. He just got a little worked up and too loud so the bartender called us to settle him down. He told me to call you when I asked if anyone could pick him up."

Officer Hanley led her over to Troy who immediately slurred, "Hi, you look beautiful today." Gabriella only nodded in thanks and bit her lip.

Troy whistled lowly at the sight of her crossed arms and said, "She looks like I'm in trouble Officer."

Officer Hanley chuckled and Gabriella took Troy's car keys out of the hand of the bartender. "Troy I'm going to need you to help me out, ok?" She said as she wrapped one of her arms around his waist and his around her shoulders.

"You smell good." He said as he rested his head on hers and started to slowly walk with her.

"Well, you smell like you need a shower." She said and giggled at his appalled look.

Gabriella and Officer Hanley took their time getting Troy out to Gabriella's car. The officer shut the door once Troy was safely inside and Gabriella sighed.

"Thank you for calling me. He means no harm." She said quietly and looked over at the man in her car.

"I understand. He's just struggling. Be safe, ok?" The Officer said and nodded at Gabriella as she pulled away.

When they made it back to Troy's place, he was already half asleep. She helped him inside and he collapsed heavily on the couch then motioned for her to join him.

"Thank you for coming to get me, Brie." He whispered and looked at his hands that were resting in his lap.

"You're welcome." She said as she slid her shoes off, "at some point we need to talk, Troy."

"I know." He rested his head against her shoulder and before she knew it he was snoring softly in her ear.

She shifted so his head was laying in her lap and she ran her fingers through his hair. They must have stayed like that for an hour and a half, him sleeping and her combing his hair. It was the most peaceful she'd ever seen him. She knew he'd been battling demons, but it broke her heart to know he carried so much pain.

When he finally woke up, he groaned without opening his eyes.

"Please tell me this isn't a dream." He mumbled into her lap, "If it is, I'm going to drink all the damn time so I always end up waking up with my head in your lap."

"Well, lucky for your liver, it's real life." Came her soft voice.

He turned his body slowly so he was now facing her and settled his head back in her lap, "Thank god."

He ran a hand down his face then slowly sat himself up. "Oh my god this is the worst I've ever felt." He said and held his head in his hands.

He felt the couch move as she stood up, "Where do you keep your Advil?"

"There's some in the kitchen. In the cabinet near the fridge."

She found the Advil and filled a glass of water before heading back out to the living room and handing it to him.

"I could kiss you right now." He moaned and quickly downed the cup of water. "Alright, I've got to shower. Just stay here, ok?"

"Ok, be careful." she nodded and settled back into her seat. She watched him stumbled up the steps, clearly still intoxicated, and pulled her hair up into a bun.

Fifteen minutes later, he stumbled back down the steps and skidded to a stop in front of her. His hair was still wet, he still hadn't shaved and his skin smelled clean but was still damp from the humidity in the bathroom. He'd put on a pair of jeans that hung low on his hips and a baseball shirt that came a little more than halfway down his arms. He swayed slightly when he stopped and Gabriella held her hands out to steady him.

"I could go for a cheeseburger." He said and looked at her. His eyes were a bit clearer than before and his stomach grumbled in agreement. "We can order in and talk, if you're ok with it."

"Of course. Where do you want your burger from?"

"Parma's" he got up and pulled out the menu for her to look over.

She bit her lip and decided on the chicken diablo wrap and called their orders with a bag of fries into the small mom and pop shop.

When their food arrived Gabriella set everything out on the coffee table while Troy poured their drinks of soda for him, and water for her.

"You know," he started and sat on the floor with her next to him, "I don't think I've seen you eat anything remotely unhealthy, other than those nachos at your party at the bar, since you came home." He said in between bites.

She shrugged and ate one of his fries in spite, "Watching what I eat."

"Babe, you of all people, don't have to watch your weight."

She felt her cheeks turn pink, "I appreciate that." She said and ducked her head slightly. "How are you feeling? You really should drink water, you know."

"Well now that I've gotten some food in me, much better." He said and picked up her water and took a sip. "I am so sorry you had to come pick me up. I don't know what happened or what got into me." He sighed and leaned back against the couch, balled his wrapper up and tossed it into the trash can, clear across the room. "I'm just thankful my drunk mess said to call you and not Chad or Taylor. God knows they'd either lecture me the whole time or just leave my sorry ass there."

"They care Troy. We all do."

"I know, but I don't like to push my shit on someone else."

"That's what friends are for and I promise you, I will be here to help you no matter what." Her voice was steady and she felt him grab her hand and lace their fingers together.

"I know I need to find the silver lining, but I can't help but ask why the hell I got dealt this shitty deck of cards. My mom leaves, my aunt gets killed, my uncle takes his life and my dad refuses to talk to me, unless we're at work. I'm fucking lonely. Yeah, I have friends but at the end of the day, I feel like I have no one." His voice cracked. "My dad just abandoned me, Gabriella. I was only ever good enough to talk about basketball and now we only talk when we have to at work. I call him every year on this day. I reach out to him every few months, but it's like he doesn't acknowledge me. How fucked up do you have to be to make your son feel like he's being blamed for something he didn't do?"

Gabriella felt tears sting her eyes and she laid her head on his shoulder. She squeezed his hand, hoping it would give him some kind of comfort.

"I put myself through college, I got my job on my own, I live in this beautiful place, yet my dad won't talk to me and I don't even know what my mom looks like. Tell me, what was ten year old me supposed to do?" He took a few deep breaths to calm himself down and looked down at the girl sitting beside him. "My whole life I've been hurt by the people I love. I told myself I would never love anyone because I can't stand being hurt anymore. No one needs the walking disaster named Troy to look after."

"Your dad is probably still hurting, same as you. But, Troy, everyone needs someone."

"Yeah, I need someone, but I can't, in good conscience, let someone else live their life with me. Not like this."

"If someone loves you, really loves you. They will take you whatever way you come. They will help you become the person you want to be and they will always stay by your side. Through thick and thin. They won't just leave you by yourself."

He bowed his head and she rested her hand on his cheek. When he finally lifted his eyes to hers, she could see his eyes were shining with tears and so, she continued on. "I'm sorry you've felt all this pain. If I could take it away, I would. But Troy, you need to first forgive yourself, and then you need to realize your worth. If your dad blames you, he has bigger shit to work on and he needs to be the one to reach out for help. You already found your silver lining. You have so many people that care about you. You went to college, you've got a job that you love, you live in this beautiful apartment. You just made it through your first year of teaching and you joined a band. You've got your grandparents and your friends that have been with you for years. And if all those things fail, Troy, you've got me."

He closed his eyes, as if he were in pain, and brought her hand to his lips. "I don't want to hurt anyone, but I especially don't want to hurt you. I will never forgive myself if I hurt you. Getting close to me is not a good idea. Gabriella, I'm not a good guy-"

She let go of his hand and put her finger to his lips. "You think you're not a good guy. I think you need to cut yourself some slack. You said so yourself, you were dealt a shitty hand of cards, but that doesn't make you a bad guy."

"I've spent so much time feeling sorry for myself, in such a dark place. I've cut myself off from any emotion other than pain, unless I was on stage. I am not worth what you say I am. Hell, my stress reliever was sex, and now it's cigarettes, more so now than ever. How is that good for someone else?"

"Sex is a natural stress reliever, Troy-"

He abruptly turned to face her and tried to drive his points home. "I went out looking just for sex. Gabriella, please don't try to paint me as a good guy, because I'm not! I've slept with so many women over the years that it should make you run for the hills."

"But I'm still here! I've known all of this about you. I will admit that I don't agree with what you've done, but everyone has skeletons. I'm not running Troy. I want to help you, I want to be here for you. I want you to know your worth."

He felt the pull before his brain registered what was happening. He started to lean in to kiss her, but stopped inches from her lips and pulled away.

He saw the confusion written all over her face so he quickly explained, "I don't want our first kiss, your first kiss, to be because my emotions are so screwed up. I want clarity. I want to be focused on you and you alone when I kiss you for the first time. You deserve better than this moment right now."

The corner of her mouth turned upwards into a small smile, "See? A good guy wouldn't care about that."

He frowned and shifted his gaze to the wall over her shoulder before he spoke, "I need to work on myself, Gabriella. I'm not asking you to wait around for me, but please know that I want to better myself, before I think about a relationship. I don't know how long that will take… I have a lot of shit to work through."

"And I'll be here for as long as you need me, whenever you need me. I want to help you."

He sighed deeply, then met her eyes. "This was either the best, or worst, bout of liquid courage I've ever had in my life."

A giggle bubbled from her mouth and was so infectious that Troy couldn't help but join in. In that moment, Troy felt emotionally drained, but also felt a weight lift from his shoulders, and it felt so good.

For the first time in years, he felt relief. Relief in the fact that he was no longer fighting this fight alone.

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**A/N: What did you think?! They're getting closer….. :) Xoxo**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: I do not own High School Musical. **

**Also, a huge thank you to my beta reader Sophia Anne Moore for helping me through this project. Make sure to check out her stuff!**

* * *

Before she even opened her eyes, Gabriella was sure of three things. She smelled breakfast, she heard singing and she was not in her bed.

Memories from the night before floated behind her closed eyelids.

After Troy's tipsy confession, the two sat in his living room, watched reruns of NCIS and ate cookies and ice cream, much to her dismay, and Troy smiled triumphantly. They ended up falling asleep on the couch between episodes, with her snuggled into his warmth and him holding her securely around the waist. Troy must have woken her up sometime in the night, because she remembered their half-assed argument about her going home. She wasn't one to intrude, but he wouldn't budge, saying it wasn't safe for her to drive home half asleep. They also argued over her sleeping in his bed and him on the couch, her saying it would hurt his back and it was his house and him saying she was his guest. Through her grumpiness, she rolled her eyes and huffed at him when he grinned in victory when she agreed and followed him up the stairs to his bedroom.

"I have some clothes that might fit you, if you don't want to sleep in jeans." He called from his closet, and emerged with two shirts and two pairs of basketball shorts. He laid the smaller pair on the bed, said goodnight and made his way back to the living room, clothes of his own in hand.

She made her way into his bathroom to change and take out her contacts, turned off the light and tucked herself into bed as the smell of Troy lulled her to sleep.

That brings her to this morning.

She cracked an eye open and looked around the dimly lit room. The sun just barely peeked through the closed curtains and she blinked a few times before fully opening her eyes and put on her glasses to look around the room she was in.

The floors and the molding were wooden and the walls were plain and painted the same off-white color as the rest of his place. His bed, dresser and nightstands were also wooden and his comforter was navy blue. It was a decent sized room with a bathroom off the bedroom and beside the walk-in closet. He had a few guitars in the corner of the room and a pair of jeans crumpled up on the floor in front of the closet.

In other words, it was exactly what she expected.

She pushed herself upright and yawned before hearing footsteps coming up the stairs. She had just pulled her hair into a bun when he emerged and leaned against the doorframe, with two cups of coffee in his hands.

He had on a pair of black sweatpants and a white T-shirt. His hair was messy and his head was tilted to the side. "I forgot you wear glasses." He crossed the room and handed her one of the cups, "Sleep ok?"

"Yes, thanks. And I mostly wear my glasses at home, my contacts are daily wear and I don't have an extra pair with me. How did you sleep?"

"Good." He said and lifted the cup to his lips. What she didn't know, was that she was right. His back hurt, but no way in hell would his pride allow him to tell her that.

His eyes swept over her just woken form and widened slightly when he saw the shorts he left out the night before, still sitting on the bed. "Montez, tell me you have pants on."

He cheeks turned red and she tried to hide it as she took a sip and she cleared her throat before speaking, "They, uh, they were too big, so I figured it wouldn't be a problem…."

He groaned and tipped his head back, "So let me get this straight. I have this woman, in my bed, looking sexy with a pair of glasses and no pants on?" He pressed a hand to his forehead, "The Big Man upstairs must be testing me." His eyes landed on hers and he raised his eyebrows when he saw her face. "What?"

"Sexy? Don't tell me you suddenly have a thing for nerds, Troy Bolton." Her cheeks were flushed and she set the mug down on his nightstand before zeroing in on him again.

"Maybe I do." He smirked and she rolled her eyes.

"About damn time someone who wasn't model material caught your eye." She muttered.

"Not model material? Have you seen yourself?"

"Have you seen the other women you've slept with? It's not quite a confidence booster to be a girl with unruly hair and glasses, Troy. Girls like me get overlooked all the time."

He let out a slow breath and responded carefully, "I'm sorry for not giving you a second thought then. I'm an asshole and I'm shallow, but I'm painfully aware of it now and every single time you put me in my place."

"A leopard doesn't change his spots overnight, Troy."

"No, but doesn't he get credit for trying?"

She pursed her lips watched as he ran a hand through his hair. "Yes, he does."

He sat down on the edge of the bed and stared at the wall in front of him, "I feel like I'm going to be spending a lot of time reassuring you that I am serious about what's happening between us, and I can't blame you. But at the same time, you never looked my way twice."

"Wrong. You're assuming, but I've been attracted to you for a long time. It was easier to hide it when you never went out of your way to talk to me."

He winced at her words and turned to her, "Well, like I've said I'm going to spend all my time making sure you know you have my full attention." He continued with a small smile, "Can I offer a temporary peace offering? I made breakfast."

"Yes, but I have one question."

"Ok, shoot."

"You've been with a lot of girls and done a lot of things to be with those girls. How do I know you're serious about me 'having your full attention'? I'm not some game to be played and I want to make that clear before we go any further." The vulnerability in her eyes made it hard for him to breathe.

"You're different. I've never felt anything when I'm with someone, but you make me feel. I know whatever it is, feels good and I want to keep feeling good."

"It's hard to break habits, especially ones that have gone on for so long."

"Yes, it is hard, but I have not gone home with anyone in a couple months. It's different, but I'm not minding it. Not when I have someone like you to focus my energy on."

"I'll be honest, I didn't think you could...feel." She said quietly.

"I couldn't because I made myself not feel. But with you, I want to feel, so I'm letting myself." The raw honesty in his voice made her heart skip a beat and she nodded in response.

"Ok." She said and blushed when her stomach growled.

He chuckled and slid off the bed, "Breakfast is ready when you are." He called as he left the room.

Her eyes stayed on the spot where he walked out and bit her lip.

It couldn't be denied, he was acting differently around her ever since she came home, and as an observer for years prior, she knew his attitude had changed. But she also didn't know what he acted like when he was alone with a girl, and while she was trying to keep a positive mind, bits of negativity worked their way in. She wanted to see the best in him, she really did, but she was so afraid of being hurt.

Pushing the thoughts aside, she picked up her jeans and put them on, left his shirt on and made her way downstairs to the kitchen and towards the smell of heaven, with her cup of coffee in her hands.

When she came around the corner, she saw Troy setting up their breakfast on the table. He was carefully plating their food and pouring their orange juice while singing to the radio and she smiled at the sight.

When he turned around and saw her looking at him, he chuckled shyly and rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Hope this is ok."

Her eyes hungrily took in the sight of eggs, toast, hash browns and bacon and her stomach growled again. "It's perfect, Troy. Thank you."

He nodded and motioned to her to sit down, "I know you like your bacon extra crispy, so I practically burnt it." He shrugged and looked up at her surprised fact, "What?"

"I didn't know you knew that."

"Well, yeah," He said as a matter of factly. "That's how you order it when the group goes out for breakfast...or lunch...or dinner. It really seems like breakfast is your favorite." He shrugged. "See? I told you I pay attention. You even give your undercooked bacon to Chad."

She broke out into a smile and nodded in confirmation. They made small talk while they ate until they were interrupted by Gabriella's phone ringing. She ignored it the first time, not wanting to be rude, but picked it up on the second try, after seeing it was Taylor. She texted "What do you need?" to Taylor and apologized profusely to Troy about how rude she was.

He chuckled and swiped an undercooked piece of bacon off her plate and popped it in his mouth. "Everything ok?" he asked.

"Yeah, Taylor says she set up a spa day for the three of us girls for today after lunch. Says it's in celebration. Of what? I don't know." She shrugged and set her phone face down on the table after silencing it and turned her attention back to Troy, who had a knowing smile on his face. "What are you smiling like that for?" She asked.

"Nothing. I know nothing." He responded quickly. "At least, I know nothing right now."

She raised one eyebrow, "You're really weird, you know that, right?" She giggled at his offended look and gasped when he threw a piece of his toast at her.

"Take it back!"

"Not until you tell me what you know!"

"I just...can't tell you. Let Taylor tell you, ok?" He pleaded with her.

She sighed dramatically, "Fine."

"Oh please, you'll find out in a few hours. Don't get your panties in a twist."

She rolled her eyes at his childish behavior and finished up her plate before placing her dishes in the sink.

"You look good in my shirt, by the way."

She turned around to see Troy watching her with appreciative eyes as he rested his hip against the table with his arms crossed.

"It's comfy." She replied with a smile. She recognized the shirt. It was a well loved East High basketball one, red with white letters. It had Bolton written across the back and the number fourteen displayed proudly under his name. He'd grown in muscle mass since high school, so it was obvious the shirt didn't fit him anymore.

"Just keep it," He said with a shrug. "I haven't worn it in years and it'll obviously get more use with you." He said as he started loading the dishwasher.

She hummed in response and helped wipe down the countertops then looked at the clock. "I should probably head home so I can shower and get ready for this spa day."

Troy watched her run up the steps the grab her belongings then walked her out to her car after she came back down. He kissed her cheek and waved goodbye as she steered her way towards home, staring after the car, long after it was gone.

Two hours later, after she'd gone for a run, came home and showered, she was putting her makeup on when she got a text from Taylor, making sure she was ready. She replied that she was leaving and drove the twenty minute drive to the salon where she and Sharpay met Taylor, who was holding two gift bags.

Upon opening the bags, the girls each found a bottle of wine, stemless wine glass and a shirt that had the words "Bridesmaid" for Sharpay and "Maid of Honor" for Gabriella with a card in the bag asking if they'd be there with Taylor on her big day. When the girls looked up from their gifts, they saw Taylor proudly flashing her engagement ring, and promptly followed it up with cheers of happiness and congratulations.

"Chad asked me on Thursday night, but we wanted to take some time to ourselves before letting everyone know." Taylor explained and hurried the girls inside for their appointments.

She told the story of how Chad proposed while they got their facials. He took her to dinner at a romantic restaurant in the mountains where he popped the question at sunset. He'll deny it, but he shed some tears when she said yes and they spent the day on Friday, home from work while basking in their newfound love.

When they moved onto their mani/pedis they started talking more about the wedding itself. Taylor wanted a navy blue and dusty rose theme and they had found a few places in the mountains, that the couple was going to look at in the next few weeks.

"So, the wedding party is you two, Kelsi and my sister." Kelsi was out of town and her sister lived in California, and Taylor continued, "Chad has Jason, Ryan, Zeke and Troy as the best man."

"Troy? The best man?" Came Sharpay's voice. "He doesn't even believe in love."

"I think he doesn't believe in love for himself, he doesn't want to get hurt. Chad said he was super happy when he told him his plan."

Sharpay hummed and took a sip of her champagne, "Do you really think he hasn't slept with anyone in months? That's so unlike him."

"I think it's possible, if he's found the right person," said Taylor and she looked over at Gabriella who was almost chugging her champagne. "You ok there Gabs?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why?"

"Just...making sure." Taylor said and eyeballed her curiously.

"He has been acting differently." Sharpay said and watched Gabriella carefully as well. "Do you know something?"

"No, why would I?"

"Just thought I'd ask," said Sharpay.

Gabriella closed her eyes. "Can I tell you guys something? But you have to promise not to tell."

The two girls looked at Gabriella, who still had her eyes closed and the back at each other.

"I know what you're going to say, but I...really like Troy." She opened one of her eyes and looked at Sharpay and Taylor and held her breath.

Sharpays eyes widened and Taylor bit her lip in hesitation.

"Gabi, you know who he is…" Taylor trailed off and looked at her Maid of Honor. "He's notorious for using women..."

Gabriella's face heated up and she took another glass of champagne that was offered.

"Gabriella, please be careful..." Sharpay said quietly.

"I know you didn't know him before the accident, but Troy was a romantic at heart. He had a crush on Jessica Smith in second grade. He picked her flowers at his bus stop and brought them in to school every Monday for a month before she moved. The accident happened the next year, and he's never been the same since then. Maybe, just maybe he'll find his way back to who he was, someday." Taylor said with a sad look in her eyes.

"I didn't know that." Gabriella said as she watched a woman paint her toes.

Sharpay cleared her throat, "Does Troy know you like him?"

"No, I don't think he knows _exactly_ how I feel." Gabriella said and shrugged.

Sharpay smiled and clapped her hands happily together, "So, when we're at the show tonight, you've got to look hot as hell, right?"

"Sharpay, no."

"Why not?!"

"You both just reminded me how bad of an idea it was to like him, why do you want me to dress up for him?"

"We just want you to be careful, but there's nothing wrong with dressing up. Sharpay and I could too! We could say it's in celebration, he doesn't have to know!" Taylor exclaimed in excitement.

Gabriella laughed at the two girls and agreed, "Ok, I'm in!"

The girls finished up their spa day and changed their plans and headed to the mall to look outfits for the show.

Tonight would be interesting.

* * *

**A/N: Alright friends! Sorry it took so long, but here it is! **

**Also, I have family visiting from Minnesota for the next two weeks, so if I don't update in a while, that would be why. I only see them once a year, so I focus all my energy on the while they're here :) **

**Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think. Xoxo**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: I do not own High School Musical.**

**Also, a huge thank you to my beta reader Sophia Anne Moore for helping me through this project. Make sure to check out her stuff!**

* * *

There was just enough light for the band to see a few feet in front of them, but not much else. It smelled of beer and sweat and probably some sex. The bar was packed due to the advertised entertainment for the night. They were opening ladies night, meaning the girls got in for free and half price drinks and the guys flocked to be there with them.

Troy felt the thumping of the music deep in his chest. The band was backstage, getting ready for the show but that didn't stop the beat of the bass from making his heart stutter.

For a history teacher, he sure loved music.

Ever since he was a kid, Troy loved music. He taught himself how to play the piano and the guitar when he'd spend his days and nights at his grandparents'. They encouraged him to find an outlet that made him happy, and now here he was.

Troy ran through a few riffs of Metallica's "Enter Sandman" to warm up his fingers and shifted his focus to the other band members who were also warming themselves up.

"Where's Kate?" Troy asked Mack as the other man took a drink of water.

"Late shift at the hospital." Mack responded then smirked slightly, "Where's your girl?"

Troy rolled his neck in a circle and shrugged, "Out at one of the tables, I'm guessing. And she's not my girl," He paused. "Not yet, at least."

"Mhmmmm. Not your girl, yet she goes to your shows and puts up with you? You better get on that. A girl like her won't be lonely long," their drummer, Damien, cut in.

Troy huffed and shot him a glare. "I'm not having a heart to heart with you guys." He turned around and pulled a few extra picks out of his guitar case and stuffed them in his pocket.

"I've never seen you work a woman this hard just for some sex. It's been weeks."

He closed his eyes in frustration, "Damien, I suggest you drop it. That was the past."

"Are you sure she knows that?"

Troy's brows furrowed, "What? Look, I appreciate your concern, but I don't want to talk about this right now."

"I'm just saying, make sure she knows, man. I don't know much about her, but I know about you and there has to be some sort of doubt in her mind. If you're serious about her, just think about it."

Troy blinked and watched as Damien turned away and walked over to where the mini fridge was and grabbed a drink. Did he ever make sure Gabriella knew his intentions? Sure he did, he told her last night. At least he was sure he made it clear, right? He sighed heavily and pulled out his phone when he felt it vibrate. Speak of the devil.

_Good luck! Can't wait to see you! Xoxo_

He grinned and stepped outside before replying quickly and set his phone on the small table to his left. Pulling out a cigarette, Troy couldn't help but wonder if he was doing everything right. He so badly wanted this to work out for him. He brought the cigarette up to his lips and frowned before picking up his phone and dialing her number.

"Hello?" Her sweet voice flooded over him and he felt a smile spread across his face.

"Hey, beautiful," he said and lit the cigarette. He heard some shuffling on her end and noticed the background noise got quieter.

"Troy, are you smoking?"

He froze, "How do you know?"

"I could hear your lighter, Troy."

He pulled the phone away from his ear to look at it when he heard the call disconnect and cursed himself before trying to call her back, but was only met with the recording of her voicemail. He ran a hand through his hair and missed the sound of heels clicking on the pavement behind him.

"You said so yourself you only smoke when you're stressed. What's wrong?" Her voice made him jump and he turned to look at her. Her arms were crossed and on her face she had a mix of confusion, concern and…was that disappointment?

"Why are you walking around to the back of a shady building on your own?" He asked protectively and narrowed his eyes at her.

She rolled her eyes "I'm fine Troy. You would have heard me if anything was wrong and I have no doubt that you would have come for me," she dropped her arms and walked up to him to take the cigarette out of his hand to stub it out on the brick wall behind him.

He watched her carefully, not sure where his eyes should go first, her hand that was now resting on his arm and giving her leverage to reach the wall over his broad shoulders or the way she dressed herself up in a black bra and a sheer black tank top tucked into tight, gray skirt with a pair of black heels on her feet, her hair lightly waved and a black choker wrapped around her neck.

"Fucking hell, Brie," the nickname fell from his lips in a hoarse whisper. "You look absolutely beautiful...sexy...stunning."

His senses were going haywire and he clenched his hands at his sides, in order to keep himself from reaching out and grabbing her hips. He counted to ten as she tucked some hair behind her ear and bit her lip then moved to step away. Almost instinctively, his hand shot out to stop her.

Her eyes shot to his, "Troy?" She asked inquisitively.

"Gabriella, it is becoming increasingly difficult to be around you and not touch you, hold you or kiss you." His eyes held hers, "I am trying so hard to restrain myself and be a gentleman, but do you know what you're doing to me?" He leaned down and rested his forehead against hers.

His cologne surrounded her and she bit down on her lip harder as he invaded her space. Her heart rate quickened and she momentarily forgot to breathe when he pulled away just enough for his cerulean eyes to lock onto hers.

"How many drinks have you had?" He whispered.

"None, I just got inside when you called." She replied and held up her hand to show him the stamp that allowed her to get back in.

"Thank god," he whispered in satisfaction as his other hand came to rest on her hip and he pulled her pelvis against his as his face inched closer to hers. He heard her take a sharp breath and he smirked at the sound, "I really want to kiss you, if that's ok with you. If not, just tell me to stop."

He paused, just centimeters from her lips, and waited with bated breath, searching her face for any kind of hesitation. When he saw none, he gently pressed his lips against hers.

The moment their lips touched, Troy felt all his previous anxieties wash away. He felt warmth and tingles shoot through his body as he kissed her. He moved his lips against hers, careful to keep it slow and steady, coaxing her to open up to him. When she did, he felt the euphoria flow through him as she snaked her arms up his chest, and around his neck.

A week ago, Troy had decided that he could have died happily on her front porch when he picked her up for his show. But now, he realized, he would come to that same conclusion many times over, as long as she was in his life.

He pulled away and rested his forehead against hers as he tried to even his breathing. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were closed, but she was smiling.

"Sorry your first kiss was behind a sketchy bar." He whispered and kissed her forehead.

"I'm not." She said with a smile and bit her lip as she opened her eyes to look up at him. Her fingers fiddled with the collar on his plaid button down shirt while she spoke. "So what brought you out here? You smoke when you're stressed."

He picked up his phone to see he still had twenty minutes before the show, and ten before he should be with the guys.

"Damien just said some stuff that made me think I need to clear things up with you, that's all."

She cocked her head to the side in this adorable way that made Troy want to melt.

"What did he say?"

"That I need to make sure you know I'm not in this for sex." He reached out and twirled one of her curls around his finger. "I'm not in it for that, by the way."

"Well, sure you are."

She sounded so sure of herself that Troy accidentally pulled on her curl in shock and a bit flustered at her insinuation. "I'm sorry?"

"Please don't stress. Troy, I'm not completely naive. I know that at some point we'll have sex."

Images of the two of them wrapped up in his sheets flashed in his mind at her words and he shook his head to clear his thoughts and stay on track.

She continued, "But, I'm hoping you won't push me for it before I'm ready."

Troy knew he was gaping like a fish out of water. She had just turned his world a full 360 degrees and he didn't know which way was up. He held up a finger, "One, you just love to keep me on my toes, don't you?" His question was met with a shy and slightly embarrassed giggle as he put up his second finger. "Two, I will never push you for anything."

"But I also know that you won't wait around forever, Troy. I mean, you went from being able to go home with any girl, to the girl that just had her first kiss not even five minutes ago."

He pressed a finger to her lips, "Anyone that I brought home or could bring home, will not make me feel the way you make me feel. That alone makes it worth it."

He watched a blush spread over her cheeks "Troy-"

"No, Gabriella," he tipped her chin up to face him with his fingers. "You're the first person to motivate me to want to be better, and I like the person that I'm becoming, because of you. Even if we crash and burn, this Troy feels a hell of a lot better than the Troy I was a few months ago and I want to stay this way. Other than Gram and Pap, no one has ever invested time in me. It just makes me want to return the favor and if that means by being better to become a man good enough for you, I'll do whatever I need." He smiled at her, in hopes that it would ease her concerns. "I promise."

He pressed his lips to hers again, a little longer this time, and grabbed her hand when he pulled away. "Come on, beautiful. I have to get on stage and I'm not letting you walk back by yourself."

She let herself be pulled away from the wall and she slipped an arm around his as he led her back to the main entrance of the bar.

He walked slowly, as if he didn't want their short walk to end and tugged on her arm to pull her close before he let her go in.

"Hey, do me a favor and don't take any drinks from anyone tonight, ok? I know you know this, but I just would feel better if I told you myself."

The look of concern in his eyes made Gabriella's heart melt. He was fidgeting nervously with her fingers but his eyes showed how serious he was about what he was saying.

"I appreciate your concern, Troy." She placed her hands on his cheeks and pulled his head down to her height and kissed his forehead. "Thank you for being so caring."

"I just want the best for you," He said quietly. His cheeks were pink when she pulled away from him and the sun from the golden hour highlighted his brown hair, turning it a dirty blonde color and made his sun kissed skin almost glow. His blue eyes shone with a look of happiness that she had only seen directed at her.

"You should go," she said with a smile and he nodded before picking up her hand and kissing her knuckles.

"I'll see you in there." He winked and stuffed his hands in his pockets and disappeared around the corner to the back entrance.

She bit her lip to keep herself from smiling too wide and leaned against the wall for a few moments before collecting herself and heading back in the door.

To say the place was packed was an understatement. The amount of people in the building was probably pushing the capacity limit set by fire codes and Gabriella struggled to make it back to her table.

"Welcome back," Taylor smirked at her when she returned and watched as Gabriella blushed. "We ordered you a jack and coke."

Gabriella took the drink and looked around at the crowd that had formed. There were so many people and they were all gravitating towards the stage where the band would appear any minute now.

"Judging by the look on your face, you saw your lover boy," Sharpay whispered in her ear.

Gabriella's face turned a darker shade of red and she stopped sipping on her drink, "I thought you were apprehensive on the subject?" Her eyes darted towards the stage when she saw movement.

"I am, but he's making you happy," Sharpay's eyes followed Gabriella's gaze and she smirked when she saw Troy looking for their table.

Gabriella's eyes lit up at the sight of him and she blushed when she saw him wink at her again.

"You're so smitten," Sharpay said and watched the two interact as if there was no one else in the room.

"What did you say?" Gabriella asked after the trace was broken when Troy had to finally look away from her.

"Nothing, nothing at all." Sharpay said and nudged Taylor and motioned with her head at Gabriella.

Taylor kissed Chad's cheek and grabbed the hands of Gabriella and Sharpay and pulled them out towards the stage. She wanted to dance and bonus points for meddling a bit in her friend's love life.

"What are we doing?" Gabriella asked Taylor.

"Dancing," Taylor said and gave her a "duh" face as she maneuvered the group to the closest spot she could get to Troy, knowing his eyes followed their movements.

"Near Troy? You two said you weren't a fan of him and I!" Gabriella's exasperated voice rose a bit as a few chords rang out through the bar.

"If he treats you right, I might just change my mind," Taylor said and cheered with the crowd as the band introduced themselves to the bar.

Gabriella considered her words with a smile, "We kissed."

The two girls turned to her and squealed, then the questions rolled in.

"When?"

"Where?"

"How was it?"

"Long? Slow? Tongue?"

"TELL US EVERYTHING!"

Gabriella laughed and shook her head. "Earlier, outside, short, no tongue, and thaaaaat's about it." She smirked and turned back towards the stage.

The two girls squealed and hugged Gabriella, "Our little girl is finally growing up!" Sharpay exclaimed.

Gabriella laughed and shook her head at her and took a sip from her jack and coke.

The band had just launched into their first song of the night and, with it being ladies night, the girls seemed to fall over themselves when Troy started to sing.

Gabriella smiled proudly as she watched him interact with the crowd that had gathered by the stage. If there was one thing she was learning, it was that Troy knew how to work a crowd. He thrived off it. Basketball, teaching and now the band. He just liked being in a crowd.

She wasn't sure if it was the atmosphere, but tonight was different than any other show she'd attended. The crowd was livelier and even though there were a few hundred people, it felt like they were at a concert. It was electric and she could tell Troy could feel it, too.

Just by looking at him, she could see his eyes were clear, his wrinkles from stress were gone and his smile wasn't hiding any sad or hurt feelings. He was carefree and loving the attention they were getting on stage. It was sexy, the way he exuded confidence. It wasn't overplayed, like she had seen from others before, and he wasn't faking it either. He was just simply being Troy and for the first time, she realized just how attractive he was. Of course, his looks could drop a girl dead, but this new side she was seeing of him, made her bite her lip as her eyes travelled over his body and landed on his fingers.

It was like a freight train had hit her, but as she watched him handle the guitar, she suddenly felt overcome by lust. The way his fingers expertly played the strings, made her wonder just what else he could do with his hands?

She sipped her jack and coke until it was gone and gave her empty glass to a bar employee. She felt the presence of their other friends before she saw them and she danced with the group, just enjoying her time.

Her eyes connected briefly with Troy's after the band finished their first song. He winked in her direction as his fingers idly played his guitar while the band set up for their next song.

"Excuse me, everyone?" He spoke into the microphone, "I just want to give a shoutout to two of my best friends and congratulate them on their engagement. You're two of the best people I know and I wish you nothing but happiness." Troy smiled at the pair while Taylor blew him a kiss and Chad mouthed "Thank you" to him.

The rest of their set went by smoothly and by the time it was over, Gabriella felt like she was floating. She couldn't remember the last time she'd been so happy.

The group decided to take a break and head back to their booth, marked by a "reserved" sign because of Troy's status in the band, and sat down to order some more drinks and some food.

They had just put in their orders when Gabriella's phone went off and she bit her lip when she read what it said.

_Miss you. Door by the bathroom leads backstage._

She giggled quietly to herself and excused herself from the table, rolling her eyes at the wink that Sharpay sent her.

She pushed the door open and immediately noticed the noise level died down considerably in the back room, something that she greatly welcomed. She waved at Mack who returned the hello and pointed her in the direction of Troy.

She followed Mack's directions and felt her breath catch in her throat when she rounded the corner.

There was Troy, facing away from her, pulling off his sweat-soaked shirts. She felt her face heat up and something stir deep in her belly as she watched his muscles ripple.

She jumped slightly when he called her name, knowing she'd been caught.

"You ok?" He asked with a smirk when he turned around and saw her face flushed.

She cleared her throat and let out a weak, "Yeah", at his words and blinked when he put his shirt back on. She watched as the cloth fell over his body and hid his abs that seemed to be carved of stone. Her eyes met his again and blushed deeper when she'd been caught staring again.

He took the few steps between them and slid his arms around her waist, "See something you like?" He whispered in her ear and chuckled into her hair when he heard her whimper in response. He laced their fingers together and pulled her out the back door, to the same area they were in just a few hours ago. He gently pressed her against the brick wall and placed his hands on either side of her head.

He watched the emotions on her face change from confusion, to shock and to relief. He groaned when she bit down on her lip nervously and he bent down to gently kiss where she was biting, feeling relieved when he felt her release her lip and he pulled away.

"I know I said I was trying to keep it slow and be a gentleman and whatnot, but you have got to stop biting your lip. You have no idea what you do to me," he breathed and rested his forehead on hers.

Brown met blue and she brought her hands up to rest at the back of his neck played with his hair there. She tried to focus on his eyes, but found it difficult with the way he was rubbing her hip. Her eyes fluttered shut when he pressed a kiss to her lips and then to her ear and a few kisses down her neck. Her head fell to the side and she heard him chuckle at her response.

She opened her eyes again, "Troy, I don't want to move too fast," she whispered.

"Babe, all you have to do is tell me it's too much. My hands won't go anywhere they shouldn't and my kisses won't go lower than your neck, if that's ok with you. No marks, I promise." His eyes locked on hers and she nodded at him, letting him know she was ok with it.

"Please don't be afraid to tell me it's too much, I want you to be comfortable with me." He said and brushed some hair out of her eyes. "I really, really like you and I don't want to do anything to jeopardize what you and I have."

"I really like you too," She said with a smile and giggled when he lifted her up and spun her around.

He pressed a kiss to her lips again when he set her back down and nodded towards the door, "We better head back in."

She followed him back inside and back to where the group was sitting. They slid into the booth and shared the plate of nachos that were sitting in front of them.

Chad raised his eyebrows at Troy who only smiled and pressed a kiss to Gabriella's hair, knowing he would be bombarded with questions later.

The group made small talk until one by one, they all left for the dance floor, leaving Troy and Gabriella at the table.

"Dance with me," he said and finished off his beer.

"What do I get in return?"

He smiled down at her and pretended to be deep in thought, "Hmmm. Dinner with me Friday night at my place? I can make dinner and we can sit out by the fire pit."

She shrugged playfully, but Troy didn't miss the way her eyes lit up at the suggested date night, "I don't know, Troy. I might need something a little sweeter than that."

"Well I could give you some sugar," he saw her roll her eyes and continued, "but I could also throw in some chocolate covered strawberries," he said and stroked his chin.

"Deal!" She exclaimed and giggled at the way his eyebrows rose.

"That's what I have to do to get a date? Chocolate covered strawberries?"

"You can get most things with chocolate covered strawberries." She said and covered her mouth when she realized what she'd said.

He smirked and learned in close, "I'll have to remember that for later."

She blushed brightly and slapped him on the chest before taking his outstretched hand and allowed him to pull her out of the booth.

"You ok there, Gabs? You look a little flushed," Chad said as he passed them on his way to the bar.

"I'm good." She squeaked.

Troy chuckled again at her and made his way to the dance floor, his hand still holding her tightly. He spun her toward him when they met the group.

"Show me what you've got babe," he said into her ear and watched as a whole new side of Gabriella was unveiled to him. He watched as she swung her hips and danced with Taylor and Sharpay. She was flirting with him and he couldn't help but feel lucky to be the only one who got to see her like that.

She was touching him, smiling at him, shaking her hips for him and he, never in a million years, would have thought that quiet, shy Gabriella would become the goddess that was before him. Her body was talking to him, telling him what she wanted from him and he was soaking it up, loving that he was who she picked.

He was like a moth to her flame and he wasn't sure if it was her light or her heat that was sucking him in.

He was doomed in the best way possible, and he wouldn't have it any other way.

* * *

**A/N: So, that two weeks turned into four. Sorry about that! It's been a bit crazy here lately... I'm currently waiting to get my work from home equipment for work, my family visited, I fell and sprained my ankle, I'm short staffed at work and I planned a massive retirement party for a previous that I've been planning for two months and we just had the party on Sunday! So, I'm back and ready to write!**

**Anyway... they finally kissed! Ahhhh!**

**Let me know what you think! Xoxo :)**


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